2 by 2

Do you ever wonder?  About all of it.  Where am I going?  Where will it lead?  How will it end?  What will happen?

Wonder, wonder wonder..... and all too often it seems I sit here with more questions than answers.

BUT God....  You will remember this one as I use it often. One of my favorite phrases.  But for God.... who knows all, sees all, and takes all things into His hands.  To include this weary girl.

A friend who is a powerful prayer warrior reached out during a particularly exhausting week recently and sent me the following words. 

"I believe God showed me your new calling and positioning for 2020.  (See the 2 by 2 in 2020?)  It's important.  It's a calling, an appointment, an anointing and a position.  It is all about Jesus and His kingdom and the place He is bringing you into.  You are the vessel He is working through.  I believe you made this trip through obedience and sacrifices even now.  Pray for your enemies, do good to those who spitefully use and abuse you but be wise as a serpent and gentle as a dove.  Be quick to hear and slow to speak.  For I know the plans I have for you says the Lord, plans for good and not for evil to give you a future and a hope.  Hope that does not disappoint.  Hope that springs eternal in your soul.  Glory bless the name of Jesus.  Yes I know your sacrifices.  Even to not get together.  Choosing the best even when you don't know and understand why.  Shalom, shalom, shalom.  Have eyes to see and ears to hear.  It just won't stop.  What God has blessed no man can curse.  May the blessings of the Lord our God be upon you for Jesus has come in the flesh.  Rejoice.  The joy of the Lord is your strength.  Amen.  Now give the Lord the intents of your thoughts and motives of your heart.  Give your mind completely over to Him in shalom peace.  Follow Him closely in faith trusting Him alone.  He will broaden the path beneath and beyond you.  Jesus is your 2 by 2.  He will never leave you nor forsake you.  A friend like none other who sticks closer than a brother."  

And she closed with this:  I feel like the Lord will be speaking to you with verses.

I don't know about you, but I feel like I could spend a lifetime trying to comprehend the breadth and depth of what was written above.  And the crazy of it all is how quick the Lord is to bring confirmation when we earnestly seek His voice above the noise of the world.

I just returned from California (late last night) where I had traveled for business on a wing and a prayer.  This meant that I ate the continental breakfast served by the hotel, I ate the lunch provided by conference, and I ate the hotel provided evening service.  Because I literally went on blind faith that God would provide all I had need of.  I traveled to California with 2 close friends who have faith in the leading that God is providing and have humbled me by coming on the journey with me.  Can you

While in California, I couldn't release the thoughts of my dearest friend and prayer partner that I haven't seen in over 20 years.  I knew she lived in California but had no clue where.  Turns out, she was roughly an hour from where I would be for the next week.  My heart soared!! Nothing I wanted more than to figure out how I could make time to meet with her and relish speaking to her in person.  I nearly cried when there was a hard check in my spirit that I was not to do that but to focus on the task at hand.  Being the "doer" that I am, my mind set to work on how I could accommodate everything and still meet my friend.  Can you picture me working to balance the see saw?  Quite clearly the door was closed once more.  I couldn't understand.  My friend is such a beautiful story of a Godly woman and powerful prayer warrior why would God not want me to see her?  It broke my heart but I obeyed and stayed.  None of which I shared with my sweet friend.  But as you can see above in what she shared, God definitively had other plans and was faithful to reveal that not only to her but to me as well!!  How good is He to protect our hearts when we are faithful to Him and His leading.

This morning after a week that was mentally and physically draining I awoke to a rather excited Homer bouncing on my head demanding I roll out.  And he, being the boss of the home that he is, succeeded and out I rolled.  As I grabbed my coffee and headed to my refuge, longing for my warm comfy bed called me to just indulge a little.  I deserved it didn't I?  After all, I had been up at 3 a.m. most every single day and hustled til after 7 every evening.  I was feeling oh so depleted and even more justified in why it was ok to crawl back in my bed with my coffee and just lounge.

I just couldn't dismiss that pull.  The pull of God called me to my refuge and to open His word so that I could hear from Him on how to move about my day.  So in I trudged (yes trudged not skipped with delight) to plop down with coffee in one hand and the bible in the other.  For those who don't know, I follow a regimented reading plan that encompasses the old testament, psalms, proverbs, and the new testament daily.  And I always read in the order the books fall in the Bible.  My inherent nature that craves order won't allow me to do any different. Now you grab a hold of your coffee and take a listen to how God moves in the hearts of his people when we will be obedient.  Because just as sure as I am sitting here, this is fully God on display and nothing of me.

The first reading was 2 Samuel chapters 7 & 8.....  One verse leaped off the page to me.  8:6 "So the Lord preserved David where he went."  yes daughter, as I will preserve you if you commit your life to Me.  My head whipped around.... I thought for sure someone was standing there speaking.  He was.  The great Alpha and Omega loves me beyond what I can understand and reached out to make sure I am fully aware of His calling on my life and His direction that I am to follow. 

The second reading was Psalm 119:33-48 Every single one of these verses just sang a song in my heart that even now is ringing with joy.  The verses plead for God to reveal His will and word to His people.  That He opens their understanding.  Asks for strength in walking in His ways.  And it goes on and on and on and on.  My heart is just quivering for without a doubt God is walking me through His holy word to reveal Himself to me so that I may know "this is the way, go in it."  I am humbled and for once..... speechless.  I can only say over and over and over "yes Lord, your will only my King."

Next in line is Proverbs 15:33  "The fear of the Lord is the instruction of wisdom and before honor is humility."  I am listening Lord.  Strengthen me to be obedient.  Place my feet on Your path so that they do not slip. 

Lastly today's verses wrap up with John 14:15-31 Verses 15-18 stopped me in my tracks completely.  God reminding me that if I truly love Him I will be obedient to His commandments.  And more than that:  He will equip me to do so by sending His Holy Spirit to me forever so that I am not left as an orphan. 

As I closed my bible I was awash in emotion and my thoughts were just swirling like a riptide pulling me deeper and deeper.  God wasn't quite done with me..... I kept wanting to pick up my phone which is something I have committed not to do while in my refuge.  I am easily distracted so it is important that I push things aside so that God can truly have my heart and my time.  The thought wouldn't go away.  Over and over, "pick up your phone, read now what Janet has sent to you.... read it now." 

And read it I did.... and there was my come apart.  Tears streaming at the goodness of the Father to lead me once more to His throne of mercy and grace so that I might find all that I need there. 

I have highlighted corresponding revelations so that you can see how God unfolded everything so that I could rightly understand it. 
If you would like to test me, (wink wink) open the bible app and go to day 145.....  for that is where I am on my year through the bible journey in this application.

Listen closely my friends for God is calling out to you just as surely as I am writing this to you.
Take the time to hear Him.... you won't ever regret it....

Hugs from me to you......

F I G H T

So often in our day to day lives we find ourselves facing a battle.  Some are small, some are pretty large, then there are those that just come in wave after wave where we can no longer see daylight.

2019 has been such a year for me.  I don't want to give unnecessary credit to the battles themselves so let's just say it greatly resembled the waves forcing their way up the beach in the middle of a tsunami.  Waves which sought to drown, destroy, and take away everything.  Waves that left destruction and desolation in its place.

Daily I come to my refuge.  Some days I enter with a much better attitude than others.  That is reality.  But daily, God never fails to meet me here.

The biggest struggles through out the storms which have been raging are those my mind couldn't see around.  How do I find God in the midst of this? Fear of the unknown.  Who am I now? How will I ever fight this giant?  Will I survive?  And the biggest of all, how do I move forward in battle, laying aside hurt/betrayal while presenting myself in such a way that God gets the glory?

The first and biggest revelation was two fold.  1) I am who God says I am ~ even if I have a hard time believing it.  So I remind myself daily by repeating all the verses that tell me who I am in Christ.  2) Every single thing is a choice!  Not happening to me.  Not an emotion.  It is MY choice how I react.

I grabbed onto those revelations and held on to the life preservers that they were.  New storms kept rolling in and the questions kept swirling.  Somehow I was missing what God was trying to teach me.

Then this morning while the full moon was shining, God entered my refuge and began to speak.  My ears were opened and I could clearly hear Him calling to my heart to hear, obey, and be healed.

In 1 Samuel 17 we read the account of that which so many of us are familiar with from the days of our childhood of David & the Goliath.  What I haven't ever done, is see what is so plainly spelled out as to how we are to fight.

* 17:26 ~ Who is this that they should defy God?   This is our proper perspective to those who are in active disobedience against God as they advance towards us with a storm
* 17:32 ~ Never let fear have a foot hold in your heart or your life.
* 17:33 ~ Do not let those around you deter you from pursuing the call God has placed on you.  For they do not know the God that is within you.
* 17:34-46 ~ Do not let your heart fail at the sight of the current battle before you.
* 17:37 ~ Rest in the confidence of all the times that God has delivered you.
* 17:39-40 ~ Do not choose the weapons of man but rather the weapons of God which are a humble spirit, an obedient heart, and prayer.
* 17:45 ~ Always and only lead with the name of God for there is none that can stand against His mighty name.
* 17:47 ~ Believe the power and might of God for He fails not.  Openly confess His victory even in the middle of the storm.

How is that for a battle plan to fight all that comes against you?  I know my own heart is resting in peace this morning.

I will daily remind myself of all He has taught me this morning as I continue to move forward secure in the knowledge that my God is the great Lion of Judah, King of Kings, who is, and was, and forever shall be!!

Keep moving on your path of faith my friends.  Just place your boots firmly in His footprints and your hand in His.

Hugs to you all.....

Mirror Mirror

All too often I find myself reverting to old ways of thinking.  Status quo kind of thinking.  The kind of thinking that kills growth, steals joy, and allows wounds to fester.

The stale thoughts just kind of creep in much like an old habit.  I always heard this, my family taught that, it has always been this way..... all these add up to come silently in to your thoughts, which become your actions, which become habits, which become who you are.

But is it really?   Is that really who you are?  Stand up, grab your boots, and come on a journey with me.  Let's walk the path of faith!

In 1 Samuel we find Hannah crying because she can't have children.  She is ridiculed and her days are made miserable by those around her.  In spite of her husband treating her so very well, Hannah's sorrow cannot be consoled and she even refuses to eat.  During the families journey to worship in the temple, Hannah "pours out her soul before the Lord."  The priest Eli hears her and speaks to her a promise from God. 

Here..... here is what we need to see and grab on to!!!  "She went her way and ate, her face was no longer sad."   Are you catching what is being laid down?  When I grabbed onto this early this morning, my face literally began to shine with joy that was pouring out from within.  SHE WAS NO LONGER SAD!  Her circumstances had not changed.  In fact, nothing had changed. 

She heard the promise of God and walked away filled with joy.  THIS.... this is the things that faith is made of.  She wasn't any different, her life wasn't any different, the mean people weren't any different.  She CHOSE to believe the promise and then walked forward as if the promise was already a reality!!!!

Wooooo.... I am just about to fly right out of my chair as I share this with you!  I cannot begin to describe the freedom that comes with allowing this one truth to become the center of the foundation of your faith.  Jesus is the Cornerstone, but allow this truth to become the center of the rest of the foundation of faith that we will build on.

But wait, there is more.  Mind boggling I know.  When we read in John 5 we see the story of the man at the pool of Bethesda unfold.  Ask yourself this question, "if the man had not taken the action of gathering his bed, rising up, and walking would he have been healed?"  The answer is no.  Not because Jesus isn't able but because of another stone that needs to be added to our foundation of faith.  Action MUST accompany faith.  Always.  When we choose to place our boots on, put our feet on the path, and take that first step forward, God will always meet us there and show us the way.

The reality is that it is not enough to believe, we must get off our sitting parts and hit the path of faith and place our full obedience and trust in God to lead, guide, and protect us.  Our part is to make sure each day finds us in His presence, seeking His will through the reading of His word, and allowing Him to speak into our lives.

The final stone of our foundation today is found in John 5:19-20.  Just as Jesus did nothing of Himself but only that which He had seen Father God do, so should we.  In other words, each of us are to be a mirror image of Jesus the Christ and God the Father in our thoughts, our words, and our actions.  For our actions reveal the condition of our heart.

Mirror mirror on the wall.   What do you see when you look at the mirror of your heart?  Do you see a reflection of Christ?  If not, grab a coffee and sit with Him a while and pour out your soul to Him.  He listens, He cares, He heals.  That is for all of us. 

I love ya! Let's go out and start that sure foundation and place a new stone on it each and every day!!!

See you on the path to faith!!

Be Prepared

As I sit reading today's selections in the Old Testament God began to speak to me about preparedness.

Not quite in the manner I expected at all.  I was thinking, end times, being aware of the signs, being vigilant.  Sounds all good and holy doesn't it?

But noooooo........
Naturally He was wanting to bring to my attention an area of my life that needs to be further aligned with His Word and will than it presently is.

All through out the chapters I read this morning God gave instruction over and over again for each tribe, priest, and person on how they should prepare to come into His presence.
Easy enough.... or so I immediately think because I tend to run ahead of Him, I almost always have prayed, entered into confession etc when taking communion.

But again..... I didn't listen close enough.  This preparedness is for EVERY moment I enter His presence.  First thing in the morning when I enter my refuge, every time I bow my head to pray, and before I ever step foot into the church. 

Mind blown once more.  I am so so so thankful for His mercy and grace in that He always continues to move me towards greater obedience to Him.  That He cares so much for me, that He wants to ensure I don't miss a single thought, blessing, or instruction He has for me by my carelessly wandering into His presence as if it is just one more thing to check off my to do list.

Heaven forbid I ever be so cavalier again!!!

So thank You Father, for conviction and instruction that always leads me where I should go.  I praise you now and every day.....

Come on my friends, pull on your boots and let's keep walking this journey together!

Did you hear?

Like many of you, I follow a daily bible reading plan.  This particular plan incorporates the old testament, new testament, psalms, and proverbs every single day.  Most of the time, the verses appear to be disjointed as they are taken from different books.
And just like most other folks, there are days I "cruise" through the scripture and "check" the box that the days reading is done.

Then there are days like today.  I come to my quiet spot where I prefer to study and pray.  These walls have heard years of prayers, joy, and tears spoken in them.  My heart is often poured out before God here.  And on days like today, when I come ready to LISTEN and EXPECTING to hear, that God meets me and reveals Himself to me.

These are the days when joy runs down my face in rivers and my soul cries "Glory, glory, glory!"

You see, when I come into His presence with the attitude of reverent expectation and position myself to hear, His voice can be plainly discerned.

Today the verses flowed from one book to another..... one message to another.  Words of instruction, comfort, and promise.

Today I listened......

Old Testament - Leviticus:  make yourself clean each and every morning.  This is crucial not only to our ability to listen but to be obedient through out the day.

New Testament - Mark: come by yourself to a deserted place and rest.  This is our time before we do anything else with our day that we seek solitude to be alone with God and find complete and utter rest.

Old Testament - Psalms: it is I, do not be afraid.  No matter the circumstances, no matter how alone we may feel, no matter.....  God is there.  We have no reason to be afraid.  The great I Am is always with us and will never abandon us.

Old Testament - Proverbs: set upon a rock, establishes our steps, places a song in our heart!  Oh my goodness.  When we choose to be made clean, be alone to rest, and place our faith solely in Him, then this is our future.... in ALL things.....

Just as God wove these verses and scriptures into a beautiful tapestry for me this morning, so is He weaving together the lives of those who love Him.

Did you hear His voice today?  It is not too late.....
Be encouraged beautiful ones!!  You are greatly loved!

I am Strong Enough

I feel like a fraud just for typing that sentence.  🤪

You see, just as recent as last night I was drowning. Drowning in a myriad of events over the past 4 days that defies the odds.  How can so much go so wrong in such a short period of time.  I literally had difficulty just catching my breath so that I could breathe.

Everywhere I turned there was a wall so tall I couldn’t see over it. So wide I couldn't get around it. So black that it threatened to swallow me whole.  I know you can identify a time in your life, maybe even now, that you have been in the same place.

I found myself shutting down.  I just can’t ~ was my pathetic cry.

But there in that sad phrase was the key to the very freedom I was so desperate to find.  I can’t.  I really can’t.

But God!

But God can!  But God created me for a time such as this. But God knew this would happen and He prepared me in advance. But God woke me with peace in my heart, a song of praise on my lips, and a smile that lights up my face.

But God!

You might wonder how that can be.... as I can assure you that not one circumstance has changed.  But God changed me!!  The key all along was not for circumstances to change but for me to change.
W O W   .....  still can’t quite wrap my mind around it. But the joy bubbling inside bears witness to the truth. For there is no earthly reason for joy, yet it is over flowing in me this morning.

The truth was so simple yet so profound that I over looked it completely.  God can. He always could. He never told me to have the answers, to do it all, to carry the load.  Complete opposite actually. He only asks that I stand on faith strengthened by hope and move when He calls me to move.  Because He can and He will if I will get out of the way and let Him.

Do not mis-understand me sweet friends.  That statement is awfully easy to write and oh so hard to live out and well I know it.  You see, I have been perceived as “strong” my entire life.  I have carried things no child should have to carry.  Walked through fires that no one would wish on their enemy. And every around me would always say “you are so strong, you will be fine.”   So much so that I really would have enjoyed knocking them sideways when they said it.  Reality was and is ~ I am a marshmallow who is hurt easily, loves large with not a lot of return, gives my heart freely to anyone, and who, most of all, would like the white knight to come in and carry the load so that I can rest. Just once in my life.

And that white knight has been there all along. Ready to carry the load.  Ready to hold me, protect me, and to love me fully.  The problem is I looked at all the wrong people, places, and things and missed the white knight.

That white knight that me, you, all of us, has been longing for is Jesus the Christ.  He alone is able to meet our deepest need, love us completely with all our faults, carry us when we are to weak to stand, and to bring us a joy that circumstances cannot undo.

So stop trying to do it all, be it all, fix it all, carry it all.  It is not our burden to carry.  Are you listening Katrina?  Are you listening my friends?

Let's grab on to who we are in Christ and allow Him to be God in our life.  Allow Him to show out on our behalf.  Allow Him to work it all out for the good of those who love him.  Whether that is the inside good or the outside good ~ His plan is perfect in every way!

I hope someone else can learn from my being stubborn and avoid the pitfalls I have lived through.  

Link arms, join hands, lift each other in prayer, and here we go..... living our absolute best life!!!

I love you so very much....

me.... a simple girl that chooses to put boots on her faith.

Say What???

Have you ever had one of those moments when you find out that what you thought you knew, you really didn't know?

I know, I know, a little early for such a statement but I know that I am called to share my "aha" moment with you.  So you just grab your cup of coffee and join me on this little path of discovery I am on this morning. 

As the years have passed God has taught me many lessons.  Some I was smart enough to grab on to rather quickly and some I grabbed on at the last minute much like a shirt tail flapping in the breeze.  Sliding in by the seat of my britches you might say.

One constant struggle has been applying my faith to events, circumstances, happenings that are personally and wholly mine.  For example - a friend battled a life threatening health issue and together we stood on faith in prayer to see God move in her life.  My mind immediately picks up the gauntlet and runs forward into battle on her behalf.  I got you cher......
Not so long ago I was moved to Stage 5 renal failure.  The beginning of the end so to speak.  My mind immediately becomes weak and says, "but healing isn't for you."

Say what?  Surely to my goodness if I can believe for another and stand in faith with them I can believe for myself.  But sadly, tis not true.  At least not for me.  It was more along the lines of this: Don't you know how often you have failed God?  Why would God heal you?  If God did heal you you would become proud and not give Him the glory.  And on and on and on the defeating litany would ring in my ears and in my heart.  Successfully stealing the victory that Jesus won and gave to me.

Like most Southern families I was raised going to church every Sunday.  So this last time when the litany once again made its rounds through my thoughts seeking to take hold of my heart I fell back on things I had heard, and honestly probably did not even really understand, oh so many years ago.  Taking a verse and plucking it out of it's surroundings and grabbing onto the surface meaning as if it was solely truth.  One such verse is Mark 9:24 "help thou my unbelief."  I grabbed on to the surface meaning and ran with it right into untruth.  Naturally.  Can you see me rolling my eyes at myself?  Ha, you are probably rolling your own eyes at me!

Somewhere along the line I took on the belief that I needed God to give me more faith.  That I did not have enough faith.  That I wasn't as good as some of the heroes of the faith therefore God would not give me the powerful, believing faith that they had.

I tell ya, sometimes my own foolishness leaves me shaking my head.  Today God opened my eyes and showed me truth in it's fullness.  There it was, all along, shining it's many facets just waiting for me to pick it up and make it mine.  Instead, I had allowed the enemy to steal it from me.  But praise God ~ NO MORE!!

Here are a few things you should know about faith:
* It is for believers who have a relationship with Christ.  Romans 12:3 "God has given every believer the measure of faith."
* There are not different kinds of faith depending on who you are or the role you play in the body of Christ.  Some believers may have already strengthened and developed their faith over time but their faith is NO different than yours.
* Only you can build your faith.  Faith comes from one place and one place alone.  Romans 10:17 "Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God."

In short, do not listen to the same lies I did.  The enemy is always quick to paint an unworthy picture of us in the mirror.  He does so to keep us from stepping forward into belief, obedience, and blessings.  He will do literally anything to keep us from realizing the uniquely wonderful creature that God has created us to be.  To shackle us with lies so that we do not walk into the truth of the freedom that Jesus bought for us with His life.

I say enough, is enough, is enough. 

So this morning, lift your banner of faith high.  Let it wave lifted by the strength of Gods love and mercy.  You keep walking on your journey of faith.  When you falter, just reach out your hand and you will find me by your side to encourage you.

You got this cher......  And you know what?  So do I!

Boots on, feet in motion, flag of faith flying high....

much love to all of you....

me