Our body is a temple for the Holy Spirit. He lives within those who have accepted Him as their savior. He desires to be the center of our being, to be so intimate with us that He can dwell  within the deepest parts of our heart. The crevises. The dark places that no one sees.  Behind the layers.  I came across this song today and remember it had crossed my path years ago. I have longed for the Lord to make his home within my heart for a long time. I have desired for Him to camp out with me...to hold me, to guide me, to make me more like Him. Intimacy. Companionship. Friendship. Make your home within my heart, Lord. Come and transform me Lord from the Inside Out! Light up those dark places so that I may find freedom, joy, and peace. Help me to see your desires for my life and to live the life that you have planned for me.

Years ago I organized a Women's Retreat that was inspired by this song. As I sit here and reflect, I remember how this song touched my heart and how God was beginning to show me the importance of reaching out to Him. Now, at least 4 years later, I am still longing for Him to make my heart His home. I have finally realized my obstacle....THE WALL. Otherwise known as the HAND.....if we are to allow Him to make His home within our hearts, then we need to open up the door for Him to enter. We need to invite Him in...to shine His light into those private areas. We need to let the guard down and allow Him to take the brokenness and transform it into wholeness.

I don't want to go there. That is the problem. It's too hard. He says come to me...and let me search you. Oh, Lord...it is not pretty.I've already opened some doors...can't we be done?  It's not where you want to be Lord! Will He be gentle? Will He forgive? Will He be disappointed? Will He say "you're one messed up chick"?  This song helps me to see that the search must be done. Search me through and through Lord until my heart becomes a home for you! Clean me out, show me where I need to make adjustments and where I need to heal. Here we go on another journey....

Just don't use the Bactine!

F.R.O.G.

We think you ought to know, dear brothers and sisters, about the trouble we went through in the province of Asia. We were crushed and overwhelmed beyond our ability to endure, and we thought we would never live through it. In fact, we expected to die. But as a result, we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely only on God, who raises the dead. And he did rescue us from mortal danger, and he will rescue us again. We have placed our confidence in him, and he will continue to rescue us. (2 Corinthians 1:8-10 NLT)

FROG! Forever Rely On God! I am looking at these verses and a few things "pop" out at me. The first thing is right in the beginning where Paul says,"We think you ought to know". Why is that important? Why do we need to know that people struggle and go through hardships and trials? Can't we just hide the struggles and put on the mask and pretend everything is GREAT? Paul says "We think you ought to know" because he wants us to realize that everyone goes through trials. We are not alone in the battle.

Paul wants us to "know" because there is a lesson for us to grab ahold of. There is growth and a harvest that comes forth as the tears fall down. Don't ever miss the opportunitly to learn in the midst of the struggle. Open your eyes and hearts to whatever the Lord wants to show you.

Paul wants us to "know" that through the overwhelming trials that he endured, there was VICTORY! He has a great lesson for us control freaks...."we STOPPED relying on ourselves"! We can't fight the battle when we only use our own strength! We LOSE! Satan WINS! Bottom line!

It isn't easy and we can't just flip the switch. Let's camp here for a minute. Let's put a huge STOP sign in front of your eyes. Okay, maybe a HUGE STOP sign with FLASHING red lights....mmmm, and a LOUD siren! Envision this for a moment! Make the decision to STOP or ....die! Get the point? It's a decision...you make it.

Paul says we need to "learn to rely on God!" We are human and we need to be taught. We need to be taught by the Lord through His Word and begin to dig DEEP into His truth. We need to begin to trust someone other than ourselves. Remember, we are NOT in control anymore! Learning takes time. It takes surrender. It takes comittment. It takes endurance and perseverence in growing in His truth.

Why is it so hard to trust? For heaven's sake...He raised the dead! He parted the Red Sea! He healed the blind and the lame! He made a way for you and I to have eternal life with Him. Why do we not trust the Lord to handle our circumstances now? God is more than able!

This scripture shows us something incredible at the end that we need to pay close attention to. He says "he DID rescue us from mortal danger, and he WILL rescue us again. We have placed our confidence in him, and he WILL CONTINUE to rescue us. (2 Corinthians 1:8-10)

Paul had CONFIDENCE in His God!! He had complete trust that His God was going to provide for him even though they were in mortal danger! Despite the circumstances, God would provide. Total reliance on HIM, not on Paul. Paul let it go...and he relied on the one who could handle it. I can hear Paul now " I know that I know that I know...God will provide".....

Let's remember something here....as Paul let go, he had to learn. It did not happen overnight. As Paul gave more and more of his struggles over to the Lord, he learned WHO his God was and was able to gain more trust in his Lord. Think of the PEACE and the CONTENTMENT that Paul had in all his trials.

He endured because He had Christ.

Always Building 429

Our Savior is so faithful!! Hebrews 13:5 says that "He will never leave us nor forsake us"....He knows our needs, our pain, our frustrations, our struggles....He knows everything we go through and He hears our cries!

HOLD ON! Our Savior never fails....He is ALWAYS there! It might not seem like it! There may be times where you question whether He sees you or if He even cares about you. It is during these times that you need to ask yourself some very hard questions. Am I out of His will? Am I seeking Him with all of my heart, soul, mind, and strength? Is there sin that I have not confessed and am trying to hide from the Lord? Where are my eyes...am I looking towards Him or at my circumstances? Do I trust Him? Am I delighting in Him? Are you looking at the struggles, the pain, and the frustrations that lie in front of you or are you looking at HIM ?

His promises are true. "He will never leave us nor forsake us" as it says in Hebrews 13:5. But do we leave Him? We are driven by our own desires and we tend to fall off His path often...sometimes daily! Our priorities get all mixed up and we end up putting Him at the end of our day. If we have time, we will fit Him into our schedule. Is it because we want to or because we know we should? How often do we walk away from Him?

God desires nothing more than for us to have a deep relationship with Him.  He NEVER fails.... He is ALWAYS with You even when you walk away! Now that is a GOD who cares!! He waits patiently for us to return! 

 During those times when you FEEL like He has walked away...HOLD ON! Keep seeking with EVERYTHING you have in your heart and soul.....strive to KNOW Him more and open your heart to HIS. He is waiting to MOVE in your life....to transform you, to mold you, to heal you, to comfort you, to bring you peace and understanding, to guide you, and to pull you closer to Him. SURRENDER.....a tough thing to do, but the rewards are AMAZING! Are you willing to take that step? If you do, His presence in your life will take your breath away! You will have a freedom beyond words....

Where are you on your journey? Do you desire more of Him? If so, dig deep and ask the Lord to give you insight on what areas of your life you need to cleanse, what adjustments you need  to make in order to make Him a priority, and most importantly what areas of your life you need to surrender to Him.

WAIT.....WORK....and then be amazed at WHAT happens.....ALWAYS....He WILL be there!

Making an Impact

Jesus poured His life into a few people. These few people were used to influence the entire world. They left an IMPACT!

Ponder that.

Jesus had one-on-one encounters with others that radically changed their lives.

Ponder that.

One on One....changed lives. Simple. Effective. Influential.

I am reading Becoming a Woman of Influence by Carol Kent. Why? Because I am a "wanna be"! God has worked in my own life and I am not suppose to keep those blessings to myself. He wants me to share His love and grace with others. People have said that God uses our circumstances and growth to help encourage and impact the lives of others. Don't let it go to waste...allow God to use you to make an impact on the lives of others!

While reading the first chapter, I was reminded of a moment down at Liberty University during an Intensive course when a professor got up and began singing a song he wrote. It made an impact on me...because he sang about our influence on children...the impact we make on their lives. Teaching doesn't just include the intellect of a child....it includes the whole child. We are given multiple opportunities to influence them, but do we grab onto each of those opportunities? Are we intentional in what we do? Why am I becoming a teacher? I am becoming a teacher because I want to IMPACT the LIFE of a child. I want them to learn, yes, but I also want to show them Christ's love. I want to make a difference in helping them to embrace all that God has for them.

What about our own lives as women? What about impacting the lives of other women? Where is our calling in that area? Women are relational people. It is the way God made us. Did He create us to be intentional too? Of course He did...SO, what do we do with the "impact moments-God appointments" in our daily lives? Do we make the most of them or do we shove them aside as inconveniences and interruptions in our daily living? How many of us are intentional in our daily living? Intentional, that is, in being like Christ. Compassionate. Loving. Encouraging. Caring. Graceful. Are we purposeful in our daily encounters with others? Do we make the most of one on one opportunities to share His love, His compassion, His grace, His truth...

Jesus had one on one encounters....if we think about his ministry, He looked for those moments and He embraced those times. I am drawn to the story of the woman at the Well in John 4. Why? I am encouraged as I think of how Jesus could of went around Samaria, as most Jews chose to do. I am encouraged that He noticed. I am encouraged that He cared enough about this one woman. I am encouraged that He opened His arms to her despite her sin.

Jesus chose to walk through Samaria because He knew he would have an opportunity to touch the life of this woman. This woman walked to the well, alone, at noon everyday to avoid meeting people who knew her reputation and who knew her sins. What was Jesus doing? Jews refused to have anything to do with Samaritans. Jesus was being intentional and was grabbing ahold of an opportunity placed before Him. He came to offer something...a gift of living water. The gift of spiritual nutrition...of fulfillment beyond what this world offers. He was offering her a life of abundance in Him...of eternal life overflowing with joy, peace, love....an opportunity to be filled with Him and to no longer thirst again.

Why is this story so important? It shows us His example of grabbing onto the opportunities that are placed in front of us.

Be INTENTIONAL.

Take those one on one opportunities, whether big or small, and make an IMPACT!

Wake up each morning...and ask your friend... "Jesus, where are we going today?"

Worthy is His Name!!

Exodus 15:2 "The Lord is my strength and my song; he has given me victory. This is MY GOD, and I will praise him-the Lord is a WARRIOR; Yahweh is his name!!!"

His name is worthy of our praise! I have been thinking about how God has worked in my life this year and have come up with 12 descriptive WORDS highlighting God's hand on my heart and soul in 2012. It has been refreshing for me but yet at the same time I have struggled to limit it to 12. God is so amazing and how can we put limits on him? He is worthy of our praise and worship! He is all knowing, all powerful, all sufficient, self existent, The Master, our shepherd, the God Most High....we can't limit Him! There are not enough words to describe Him and to share how He has worked in our lives. I came across this video a few months ago and it touched my heart and helped me to understand the Majesty of WHO He is. I hope that as you watch this video that it will help you to see WHO your GOd is too and help you reflect on ways in which He has touched your life this year.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5-6gwssX0Y

I hope that you have begun to see WHO your GOD is...let Him take ahold of your life and bless you beyond measure! Let Him pull you up onto His lap and begin to work in your heart. He is an amazing God who is just waiting with open arms to have you sit with Him!! Let me continue to share a part of my journey with God's touch upon my life...here is to #'s 7-12!

7. Provider: How many times in your life have you felt like you are truly empty handed? You have a need, but it is absolutely out of your control and the word IMPOSSIBLE is plastered right before your eyes. Loss of control. Helplessness. Hands thrown in the air praying that God would fix the mess you are in! I know that I have looked to the Heavens and yelled "Seriously??" up to my Father many times this year....."can you give me a little help down here!" I was losing the fight....I gave it all, but yet it was NOT enough! The fight was endless! I needed a MIRACLE at times! My friends, so many times this year I had to submit and confess that I had it all wrong. I was not the sufficient one! He was! It was His battle, but I was fighting it my way and most of the time on my own! He is our PROVIDER! He comes through for us time and time again. He Provides even when we are the ones who mess things up. He is the GIVER...the one who opens His arms and pulls us close when we are walking away trying to do things on our own. He waits so patiently and lovingly for us to reach towards Him and admit that we can't do it on our own....His grace is sufficient! Each time I came to Him with an open and contrite heart, He would show me how His Grace was sufficient for my needs. He was my Jehovah Jireh, the Lord who provides! He was ALL I needed!

8. El Roi: THE GOD WHO SEES....I love this one! There is scripture in His word that says fix your eyes on NOT what is seen ,but on what is unseen! So often we fix our eyes on the things of this world...on material items, on our careers, on our images and how others see us. We strive to have the best things and to show our best image to the world. God CALLS us to fix our eyes on HIM...the one we cannot SEE. I get that. It's a daily commitment of looking up and focusing on HIM. Fixing our eyes on HIM...the one who is UNSEEN! Let's turn that around though....GOD SEES the things in us that are unseen!!! I am so thankful that God SEES....he sees our needs and not our wants. He SEES our struggles instead of the mask that we put on. He sees our insecurities and he knows the darkness that lies deep within our hearts that no one else can place their hands upon. He SEES the hurts, frustrations, and the tears...GOD SEES....HE KNOWS...HE UNDERSTANDS...and He wants to heal those wounds! No one can touch those deep places in your heart except HIM...because He is a God who SEES!!

9. Transformation: Romans 12:2 "Let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God's will for you , which is good and pleasing and perfect." His WORD has been a LIGHT for my soul and for my mind. Transformation has taken place as I have learned thought permission and thought prevention. This world and Satan's lies will take ahold of you and pull you into the darkness and depths of destruction. Meditating on His Word and allowing His truths to take ahold of my mind and my heart has lead to the transformation of a new person....full of joy, hope, and peace!

10. The Mountain Mover: I don't really know how to describe this one except that God is ALL POWERFUL! Full surrender and trust in Him has shown me amazing things this year. He MOVES....when we allow Him to! Where do we place our faith and trust? Do we believe that He can do what He says He can do? Do we come to Him and ask Him to MOVE THE MOUNTAIN? DO we place him in a box or do we pray with GREAT expectations? God has MOVED the MOUNTAINS, has made me giggle as I have watched and waited for His answer to prayer, and has grown my faith as I have seen His MIGHTY hand in astonishing ways ..in the lives of my children, in my health, in my marriage, in my faith walk...He is SOOOO GOOD!

11. COMFORTER: This verse has stuck with me for the entire year...Isaiah 40:11 " He will feed his flock like a shepherd, He will carry the lambs in his arms, holding them close to his heart." At the beginning of the year I would describe my Heavenly Father as one who was on the "other side" of a wall. Something was separating us. I longed for the Holy Spirit. I longed for a close relationship with Him. But there was something blocking it. A THICK wall between myself and my GOD. How could that be? I felt like the person in the song " Going on a Bear Hunt!" I couldn't go through it, under it, or over it....how was I going to get to MY God? I came across this verse in my quiet time and began crying ...tears just flowing like a river! I remember crying out to my Lord to carry me...to bring me so close to Him that I could feel His heartbeat next to mine. A year ago I could not experience those tears...I fought it tooth and nail. As the year has progressed, God has helped me to break the wall...to tear it down one brick at a time, one tear at a time, one day at a time....he has carried me and held me close to his heart, bringing comfort beyond anything that I could ever imagine. Instead of fighting, I now embrace those tears and allow God to be my COMFORT!

12. FREEDOM: FINALLY!!!! This one is the cake of all cakes!! Freedom in Christ! A journey too long to tell! But one I will always cherish! Hard trials, many tears, perseverence....but yet full of joy in the victories...one at a time. The scripture in my Bible is highlighted at 2 Corinthians 3:17 "For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is FREEDOM!" Oh, my...can't stop there. The verses to follow add this " so all of us who have had that veil removed can SEE and REFLECT the GLORY of the LORD. And the LORD-who is the SPIRIT- makes us more and more like him as we are CHANGED into his glorious image." WOW...GOD just put a big BILLBOARD in front of me....as I sought HIS HOLY SPIRIT back in January of 2011...GOD CAME...with open arms (waiting patiently along this whole journey) and as I surrendered each area of my heart and admitted that I NEEDED HIM more than ever...he began the work of transformation in my life. His Spirit came and poured into me giving me opportunities to find FREEDOM in HIM! I can NOW SEE and REFLECT the GLORY of the LORD!! The transformation is STILL taking place and will continue to take place until He returns...it is a process of CHANGE!

The beginning of this journey talked about "CHANGE"....do you love it or do you hate it? Do you embrace it or fight it? Why does change have to occur? God tells us exactly why in these verses above....to transform us, to reflect His glory! Eternal purposes! It is well worth it isn't it?

Change Brings Transformation

Let's keep chuggin along that track....I sometimes feel like the "The Little Engine That Could"...you know, the one who keeps on keepin on! Doesn't life feel like that at times? Does the path to the mountain top ever end? I remember going to the highest peak this summer at Sharp Top Mountain in Virginia and looking out over the Valleys ...it was just BEAUTIFUL! God showed me some incredible things that day....that His light shines even in the darkest valleys, that there are more valleys than mountaintops, that abundant growth occurrs in the valleys, and it's a long track upward, but well worth the effort! The sky was beautiful that day with the strongest beam of sunlight pushing through the clouds and shining down onto God's creation. His LIGHT was so powerful that I could not take my eyes off of it...and that my friends is how our life is suppose to be. We are not to take our eyes off of Him!!! Keep your eyes on Him and amazing things happen!!

Let's continue along with the WORDS for my year in 2011! I stopped and thought about the third one for along time ....Faithful. I could probably write a book about His Faithfulness in my life this year! But let's go on to numbers 4 and 5!

4. Joy: In the depths we search for Joy. Our greatest joy comes from our Lord! Jeremiah 31:3-4 "I have loved you , my daughter Beth, with an everylasting love. With unfailing love I have drawn you to myself. I will rebuild you, my daughter! You will be happy and dance merrily with your tambourines." These verses speak volumes to my soul as I have gone from visioning a wall between God and myself to sitting on his lap enjoying His embrace and loving arms. My empty heart has been filled with dancing and songs of Praise. Through many tears and times of deep reflection God has shown me Joy beyond measure!

5. Healer: Jeremiah 30:17 is highlighted in my Bible with this "I will give you back your health and heal your wounds." I highlighted this verse on March 26th as I was seeking healing and restoration. This year has been a struggle physically, emotionally, and spiritually for me. God has taught me that as I surrender to Him that He is the ultimate healer. Seeking Him in prayer and petition and surrendering each aspect of my health has given me hope in allowing Him to be my ultimate healer!

6. Peace: Oh how I love these verses and how they have spoke to me on this journey. Philippians 4:8-9 states " and now dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me-everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you." The things we put into our minds determines our peaceful state of mind. I have had to learn thought permission and thought prevention. Through this journey of filling my mind with Truth, God has brought me a life of living beside peaceful streams.

My cup overflows with blessings from above!! God is amazing!

Change Is Necessary For Us To Grow!!

"Change" can be a tricky word. If I were to venture into the minds of many of you, I would guess that most of you would either say "love it" or "hate it"!! For instance, this SNOW outside..either you love it or you hate it! Seriously, Christmas was over and I told my kids that we could now skip the snow and move to spring! Of course, they were not happy with that comment because they "love" snow. They love to play in it. They love to eat it. They love to fight each other with it! They LOVE snow. Myself, on the other hand, hates it! I hate the mess it makes. I hate that it is cold. I hate that it prevents me from going outside at times and makes me become a grouchy hermit crab. I absolutely hate that almost everything outside dies because of the pretty white, sparkling snow! BUT, without the snow, we wouldn't have the beautiful smell of spring flowers, the renewed freshness in the air come March, the warm family nights in the middle of winter, the reflection of the sun off the white snowflakes in the midst of the gloomy Ohio weather! We wouldn't have the giggles and the laughter as children sleigh ride down steep slippery hills and we wouldn't have snowmen with oreo eyes and carrot noses! So, is it truly just love it or hate it...guess not!

Beth Moore posted on her blog an invitation to reflect on what God has done in our lives during 2011. I know that you have had some CHANGE in your life...good or bad, loving it or hating it! "Change" is inevitable! "Change" is necessary! "Change" is for your good whether you love it or hate it. I am convicted in my heart that "change" is a part of God's plan and we better be prepared for it! It is part of the transformation process in our hearts and souls. Change can be good or bad depending on how we react to it and if we we are flexible or adaptable with it. What are we going to do with "change"? Are we going to allow it to mold us and transform us? Are we going to allow it to hinder us? Are we going to allow it distract us from the ultimate glorification for God? God uses everything for His Glory! Embrace change! Change transforms!

So, an invitation to reflect on what God has done in my life during 2011? What CHANGE have I seen? How has God transformed me? Reflection is part of my everyday life. My mind never stops reflecting! Mmmmm, this is a love-hate relationship in my mind! I love it because it helps me grow, but I hate it because my brain never shuts off! So, I have come up with 12 words that reflect how God has worked in my life with small tidbits of information supporting my WORD! I only have time for 3 today...but 3 key ones in my opinion!

1. Leader: Through my "full surrender", He has become the Leader of my life. Self sufficiency is no longer a part of my vocabulary. Luke 8:23 states "if any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross daily, and follow me." Lord, be the LEADER of every part of my life....I just make a mess! I give you FULL control! Hey, I am no longer labled "sweet little control freak" by a friend of mine...now that is an accomplishment!

2. Potter: He is the Potter and I am the Clay! Isaiah 64:8 "And yet, O Lord, you are our Father. We are the Clay, and you are the Potter. We are formed by your hand." I was the Potter trying to fix the cracks with all my "spackle" until one day a friend told me that "the Lord doesn't want a fixed up piece of pottery with cracks...He wants to transform you into a brand new piece of pottery!" So, I have chosen to throw that spackle away and allow God to be the one to FIX the cracks...Obedience is a tough one, but well worth it! Now I am just waiting to become that beautiful Pitcher full of His Living Water!

3. Faithful: Wow, this one could be a couple pages! Multiple scriptures speak of His faithfulness in our lives! Today I choose 2 Thessalonians 3:3 "But the Lord is faithful; he will strengthen you and guard you from the evil one". The Lord has been faithful to me this year in strengthening me in hardships and guarding me from the attacks of Satan. He has stood faithfully by my side as I traveled along some rocky roads in seeking His Truth and in fighting the Lies!! Praise the Lord!

Check back for the continuation....my mind is still goin! Can't you hear the gears going?

I would love if you shared a few words of your own!!