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

Life as a Country Girl

It is no secret that I call Louisiana home and draw great strength and comfort from my roots.  Those roots have allowed me days of sunshine, showed me the value of hard work, and sheltered me from the storms while teaching me how to survive them.

Just as growing up country in a deeply Southern town has taught me many lessons, so too, have I learned lessons that stretch me and cause me to grow through experiences as well as pain in the life I live based on the foundational relationship I have with Father God.

Through the years, I have noticed that God speaks to each of us based upon our physical roots so that we can easily understand what He is saying to us.  In my case, He clearly speaks "country girl" to me.

As I was sitting in the quiet this morning reveling in the moment of solitude, He came to me calling me to go deeper with Him.  To pursue the deep things.

Hosea 10:12  Sow for yourselves righteousness; Reap in mercy; Break up your fallow ground, for it is time to seek the Lord, til He comes and rains righteousness on you.

To sow means to be intentional.  To work toward producing or growing something.  In country terms... I am going to sweat a massive amount as I work to break up the ground and get it ready to receive the seeds I will plant.  It means making sure the soil has the right nutrients to grow what I am planting.  It means the soil is loose and no longer hard and compacted.  When all this is done and ready, then I can plant the seed.  Now the easy part is done and the real work begins. 

Once the seed is planted it must be nurtured and tended daily.  Always making sure that there is the right amount of rain, sun, and nutrition so that the seed is able to grow and thrive.  In addition, there is hours of back breaking work as you keep weeds away so that nothing comes to choke out the life of what was planted.  As if that isn't enough along comes pests, fungus and an abundance of other things to cause the plant to be unhealthy.

In this verse in Hosea God is reminding me to work towards obedience to the revealed word of God.  Sounds pretty simple but then so does planting tomatoes.  If you have ever had a garden, you know the truth of these words.  It is work.  Pure and simple.  Without the work there is absolutely no way to enjoy the reward.

So it is as I allow God to bring me to full obedience in Him.  This can only, and I do mean ONLY be accomplished through daily pouring His word into my heart.  Daily hitting my knees in conversation with him.  Notice I did not say in talking to Him but used the word conversation instead.  This means I will choose to spend more time listening than I will talking because I can guarantee that what He has to say is what I desperately need to hear.

As I grow better at listening to His instruction, He is faithful to teach me.  In order for me to learn I must first be willing.  Then when I am willing I must add to that obedience.  It takes both in equal abundance in order for me to be in a position to hear the words that the Father places deep within my soul to take root so that I might be rooted and grounded in Him and not in self.

As I listen to His instruction then I will begin to reap mercy.  And not in the way that I first thought I would.  Being the inherently selfish being that we as humans are, naturally I had thought of all the ways that mercy would be brought to me.

But what if?  What if mercy was given to me so that I might share it in ABUNDANCE with those around me?  What if when mean shows up it is rewarded with kindness?  What if when hate shows up it encounters genuine love?  What if?

So this morning as I am preparing the soil, planting the seed, and tending the plant, may I remember how God loved and how His mercies are new every morning....

Faith with boots is a lifestyle not a momentary thing....

love you all....

me

Which Comes First?

Do you remember that old joke?  Which comes first the chicken or the egg?  Sparks a world of debate depending on who you are talking to.  😀

As I was studying through the book of Psalms, Proverbs, Daniel, and 1 John today, a great reminder was brought about.

All to often we get caught up in our actions and emotions.  More often than not, emotions lead the way.  Especially if we are in the midst of an especially hurtful situation.  Our emotions scream out it's version of right, our actions react based on those emotions, and you can bet that it is rarely has anything to do with God.

The reality is that faith proceeds works and feelings.  Every.  Single.  Time.  When we step forward in faith, we are humbling ourselves in obedience to God.  When we are obedient to God and we are humble, then we are able to accurately hear God.  We become teachable. 

Have you ever noticed when trying to teach a puppy, a horse, or even a child that first they must know your love?  Then they begin to hear.  Not only do they hear, they begin to understand.  Once they understand, they can obey  Once they obey their actions and emotions follow suit.

So it is with our faith.  In all things, but never so evident as when we are hurting.  So we must make a choice to lower the volume of our emotions and allow our faith to be loud.  Remember, we have all the faith we need.  Even if it is tiny as a mustard seed.

Once we tune in to our faith, God can speak because our ears are now unplugged from the turmoil and we can accurately hear His voice over the noise. 

As we put that first boot forward (hence my blog called Faith with Boots On) we will find that our path becomes illuminated so that we can see His leading.  Some times a few steps ahead, some times a day ahead, and some times we can see far ahead.  No matter what we can see, we must determine to keep putting one foot in front of another.

As we travel the path you will find that your emotions and actions begin to fall into line.  Now just to be perfectly clear, I want you to notice that no where in here do you see the words easy or without effort, etc. 

You will also notice that no where does it say, "understand, makes sense, or clarity".  It all begins with stepping out in faith.

As long as we are pursuing self and waiting on God to shine a light on a path and speak in a booming voice "go here and do this" we will continue to wallow in self which will ultimately lead to our own destruction.

When we choose to put our boots on the path of faith, which leads to obedience, which leads to our emotions coming in line, which leads to our actions coming into line, which leads to the greatest joy of all and that is a life lived in the presence of God.  Then He can rain down blessings on us so that we might share those blessings with others. 

You see, that is how all this works.  I am blessed so that I can bless you.  You are blessed so that you can bless another.  They are blessed to bless yet another.  It is living in community.  Each caring for the other the same way the Father cares for us....

So if you find yourself straying from the path, stop! make the choice (for that is all it is), and put your boots on, and take that first step forward.  You won't be alone.  You will find me there and oh so many others. 

Lastly, when we link arms and lift others, the journey is all the sweeter.

So come on folks.....  put boots on that faith and let's get walking!

Different ~ And All That Means

Micah Taylor wrote a song called Different..... (link below)

Today as I sat in study that song began to play.  As the words impacted my very soul, the tears flowed freely and my heart soared with hope and joy!

As I lay down all my flaws and imperfections before the most Holy God, He in turn restores my soul.  He is faithful to create the change in me that Micah put in such beautiful words.

I am excited to move forward into His vision of who I am and all that I can be!!!

Coveting your prayers during my journey, I remain faithfully your friend as we walk this road of life.

me.....

Different

Today, I Choose

Today I Choose.....

What will you choose today?  Each moment of this day lies before you a precious gift that you get to open.

What will you choose to do with this gift?

There is a truth that is seldom acknowledged and that is this:  life is not happening to you.  You are making choices.  Even your decision to do nothing is in itself a choice.

So what will you choose today?

Today I choose to make the day before me intentional, God based, faith filled, and obedient so that I might walk into the Father's presence when my days are completed and hear the words, "Well done good and faithful servant."

Today I choose......