Sitting at my Window

I am sitting at my window...waiting...watching...hoping...praying...wanting something great to happen. Not really in the sense that most people would think of greatness, but in the sense of a small miracle. I just want to see the sun come out and smile at me. Or maybe watch as a happy old couple walk by holding hands. I want to hear birdsong and not the pattering of the rain. I want to see blue sky instead of gray.

I guess I want a lot of things...

The sun shouldn't have to shine in order to make me happy. I shouldn't have to see what I long to see or get what I want in order to be content, should I?

No.

When I sit at my window with a thousand thoughts swirling around in my head, I need to look through the gray and see the beauty behind it. I need to know the peace of God in the sound of the rain pattering down. Maybe He wants me to find joy there rather than in bird song. Maybe I need to look to the heavenly Son rather than the earthly sun that gets clouded over and drown out by the storms. Even in the storms I have a hope and a promise that Christ the Son of God will never stop shining. He is my light and my strength when I am weak.

 "He has said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is perfected in weakness.' Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distress, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ's sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong"

 2 Corinthians 12:9-10

I pray from the deepest, most feeling part of my heart asking that God would grant these words to be the words of truth that come from my lips. I want to be happy when all the world is crashing down around me. It isn't just about being happy either, it is about being completely satisfied and content in Christ, and in nothing else. 

Here I am, at my window looking out into the gray. Here He is, right next to me. He's got his arm around my shoulder and His pierced hand in his lap. 

My hand is folded in His and my head is laying on His shoulder...

I am right where I need to be. I am right where He wants me to be. I am being taken care of. I have nothing, absolutely nothing, to worry about. What more can I ask? What more do I need?

Nothing.

Naughty Mornings with a Smile

Despite the naughty scheming calf, two rascal pups, a sink full of bottles to wash, and soggy shoes, I am happy and somehow still smiling! God has given me the grace to get through this morning (trust me, I do have my bad mornings!) with a smile plastered to my face! It's a truly beautiful feeling.

 I stop in the bathroom to look at my hair...

Whew! Bad idea. Who in my family really notices when my hair is disheveled and I'm not wearing makeup anyways? No one (Not that I don't ever do my hair and makeup...). So, I have even more reason to smile! God loves me, my family loves me, and somebody (Christ) died so that I could be alive this amazing morning. How cool is that!?

   

That is awesome!

Smiles and laughter,

~ Rachel Rosebud

(This was a post from a long time ago...not sure how it got up here at the top...)

Barricade of the Mind

Have you ever stood and thought about something for way longer than you really needed to? Have you ever super hyper-analyzed something to the point that there seems to be nothing more to explore? Have you ever heard something and examined it from every humanly possible angle?

Why is it that logic is the basis of how we think about God? Why do we stuff Him into a box? Why do we place "limits" on what He can do?

I thought about it this morning as I traipsed around the field.

I take God and fit Him into my life, instead of letting Him take me and fit me into His life. I take His word and try to cram it into the walls of my finite mind. I think about possibilities and I say, "Well, that couldn't happen because of this, that, etc..." when truly, God can do anything.

I prayed, asking Christ to break the barriers of my mind and to work through the Spirit, not through any thought or bound of my own. I asked the Holy Spirit to break the chains that keep me from praying bold prayers and expecting great things from a great God. I asked for a trust, hope, joy, and peace, that fully leans on the faith that is my foundation, rather than leaning on what I think or find to be correct or believable. I asked that the Spirit would push aside all doubts and fears, allowing me to step forward and run hard after Christ. Sometimes when we think, we never act because (in our minds) it (whatever we are supposing to accomplish) is impossible. Only if we could act upon the prompting of the Spirit, and think about it later. Because we cannot comprehend God fully, we cannot comprehend His actions and abilities fully either.

There are so many ways I need to learn to let go and "free fall" into His arms. I know (deep down) that He will always be there. I also know that He is prompting, leading, and teaching me to lean on Him. Sometimes leaning on Him means letting go of me. 

If you are in a position where you are thinking through a big decision, say, to go to college or to stay at home, what college to go to, buy that car or not to buy that car, invest in this person or not to invest in this person, start a business venture or not, buy this house or that one, move miles away or stay where you are at, start a church or not to start a church, take this job or that one...and the list goes on.

I don't know what you are going through, I don't know what your thought process is. I don't know what you have analyzed and what you have not. I don't know how you have chosen to make this decision, but I do know that you could be over thinking it. Maybe "free-falling" is exactly what God wants you to do! Maybe Christ wants you to take a leap of faith and say, "Lord, I want to honor you. I believe this is what You have for me even though there are so many "what if's" and "maybe's". I know that I can place it on your shoulders." Please, don't jump if you feel God screaming "no"! Don't do something stupid like, "Well, I'm going to take this super risky business venture and possibly lose everything because maybe God is in it..." Do put some thought into it, but don't let your mind tell you that it is impossible, even if it seems that way. God can do anything. He wants you to place the trust in Him and He wants you to have faith outside of what logic would offer.

We all have this barrier in our minds that seems to separate what we see, what we believe, and what faith does. Consider asking God to break down this barricade of the mind. If we all stopped putting our God in a box, can you imagine what faith would begin to grow among us??

(I found this post way back in my drafts...I though it might be worthy of publishing)

Well that's it for our "Ten Days With Oswald Chambers"

It was so encouraging just posting those every day. I enjoy the deep and thoughtful style that Chambers brings to the table. I do not agree with everything he writes, but it is really a matter of eating the fish and leaving the bones.

Anywho, I better be off. I have a list of things that need to be done around here. I may pop in later to write a post, but I can't promise you anything.

Blessings,
Rachel

Ten Days With Oswald Chambers - "Faith or Experience?" - November 13th

"Faith or Experience?"

November 13th

By Oswald Chambers

"...the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me."

Galatians 2:20  

We should battle through our moods, feelings, and emotions into absolute devotion to the Lord Jesus. We must break out of our own little worlds of experience into abandoned devotion to Him. Think who the New Testament says Jesus is, and then think of the despicable meagerness of the miserable faith we exhibit by saying, "I haven't had this experience or that experience"! Think what faith in Jesus Christ claims and proves--He can present us faultless before the throne of God, inexpressibly pure, absolutely righteous, and profoundly justified. Stand in absolute adoring faith "in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God--and righteousness and sanctification and redemption..." (1 Corinthians 1 :30). How dare we talk of making a sacrifice for the Son of God! We are saved from hell and total destruction, and then we talk about making sacrifices!

We must continually place our faith in Jesus Christ--not a "prayer meeting" Jesus Christ, or a "book" Jesus Christ, but the New Testament Jesus Christ, who is God incarnate, and who ought to strike us dead at His feet. Our faith must be in the One from whom our salvation springs. Jesus Christ wants our absolute, unrestrained devotion to Himself. We can never experience Jesus Christ, or selfishly bind Him in the confines of our own hearts. Our faith must be built on strong determined confidence in Him.

It is because of our trusting in experiences that we see the steadfast impatience of the Holy Spirit against unbelief. all of our fears are sinful, and we create our own fears by refusing to nourish ourselves in our faith. How can anyone who is identified with Jesus Christ suffer from doubt or fear! Our lives should be an absolute hymn of praise resulting from perfect, irrepressible, triumphant belief.

Ten Days With Oswald Chambers - "The Changed Life" - November 12th

"The Changed Life"

November 12th

By Oswald Chambers

"If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new."

2 Corinthians 5:17

What understanding do you have of the salvation of your soul? The work of salvation means that in your real life things are dramatically changed. You no longer look at things in the same way. Your desires are new and the old things have lost their power to attract you. One of the tests for determining if the work of salvation in your life is genuine is--has God changed the things that really matter to you? If you still yearn for the old things, it is absurd to talk about being born from above--you are deceiving yourself. If you are born again, the Spirit of God makes the change very evident in your real life and thought. And when a crisis comes, you are the most amazed person on earth at the wonderful difference there is in you. There is no possibility of imagining that you did it. It is this complete and amazing change that is the very evidence that you are saved.

What difference has my salvation and sanctification made? For instance, can I stand in the light of 1 Corinthians 13, or do I squirm and evade the issue? True salvation, worked out in me by the Holy Spirit, frees me completely. And as long as I "walk in the light as He is in the light" (1John 1:7), God sees nothing to rebuke because His life is working itself into every detailed part of my being, not on the conscious level, but even deeper than my consciousness.  

Ten Days With Oswald Chambers - "The Supreme Climb" - November 11th

"The Supreme Climb"

November 11th

By Oswald Chambers

"He said, 'Take now your son...'"

Genesis 22:2

God's command is "Take now," not later. It is incredible how we debate! We know something is right, but we try to find excuses for not doing it immediately. If we are to climb to the height God reveals, it can never be done later--it must be done now. And the sacrifice must be worked through our will before we actually perform it.

   "So Abraham rose early in the morning...and went to the place of which God had told him" (22:3). Oh, the wonderful simplicity of Abraham! When God spoke, he did not "confer with flesh and blood" (Galatians 1:16). Beware when you want to "confer with flesh and blood" or even your own thoughts, insights, or understandings--anything that is not based on your personal relationship with God. These are all things that compete with and hinder obedience to God.

Abraham did not choose what the sacrifice would be. Always guard against self-chosen service for God. Self-sacrifice may be a disease that impairs your service. If God has made your cup sweet, drink it with grace; or even if He has made it bitter, drink it in communion with Him. If the providential will of God means a hard and difficult time for you, go through it. But never decide the place of your own martyrdom, as if to say, "I will only go to there, but no further." God chose the test for Abraham, and Abraham neither delayed nor protested, but steadily obeyed. If you are not living in touch with God, it is easy to blame Him or pass judgment on Him. You must go through the trial before you have any right to pronounce a verdict, because by going through the trial you learn to know God better. God is working in us to reach His highest goals until His purpose and our purpose become one.

 

Ten Days With Oswald Chambers - "Fellowship in the Gospel" - November 10th

"Fellowship in the Gospel"

Novemver 10th

By Oswald Chambers

"...fellow laborer in the gospel of Christ..."

1 Thessalonians 3:2

After sanctification, it is difficult to state what your purpose in life is, because God has moved you into His purpose through the Holy Spirit. He is using you now for His purposes throughout the world as He used His Son for the purpose of our salvation. If you seek great things for yourself, thinking, "God has called me for this and for that," you barricade God from using you. As long as you maintain  your own personal interests and ambitions, you cannot be completely aligned or identified with God's interests. This can only be accomplished by giving up all of your personal plans once and for all, and by allowing God to take you directly into His purpose for the world. Your understanding of your ways must also be surrendered, because they are now the ways of the Lord.

I must learn that the purpose of my life belongs to God, not me. God is using me from His great personal perspective, and all He asks of me is that I trust Him. I should never say, "Lord, this causes me such heartache." To talk that way makes me a stumbling block. When I stop telling God what I want, He can freely work His will in me without any hindrance. He can crush me, exalt me, or do anything else He chooses. He simply asks me to have absolute faith in Him and His goodness. Self-pity is of the devil, and if I wallow in it I cannot be used by God for his purpose in the world. Doing this creates for me my own cozy "world within the world," and God will not be allowed to move me from it because of my fear of being "frostbitten."

   

Ten Days With Oswald Chambers - "Sacred Service" - November 9th

"Sacred Service"

November 9th

By Oswald Chambers

"I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ..."

Colossians 1:24

The Christian worker has to be a sacred "go-between." He must be so closely identified with his Lord and the reality of His redemption that Christ can continually bring His creating life through him. I am not referring to the strength of one individual's personality being superimposed on another, but the real presence of Christ coming through every aspect of the worker's life. When we preach the historical facts of the life and death of our Lord as they are conveyed in the New Testament, our words are made sacred. God uses these words, on the basis of His redemption, to create something in those who listen which otherwise could never have been created. If we simply preach the effects of redemption in the human life instead of the revealed, divine truth regarding Jesus Himself, the result is not new birth in those who listen. The result is a refined religious lifestyle, and the Spirit of God cannot witness to it because such preaching is in a realm other than His. We must make sure that we are living in such harmony with God that as we proclaim His truth He can create in others those things which He alone can do.

When we say, "What a wonderful personality, what a fascinating person, and what wonderful insight!" then what opportunity does the gospel of God have through all of that? It cannot get through, because the attraction is to the messenger and not the message. If a person attracts through his personality, that becomes his appeal. If, however, he is identified with the Lord Himself, then the appeal becomes what Jesus Christ can do. The danger is to glory in men, yet Jesus says we are to lift up only Him (see John 12:32).

Ten Days With Oswald Chambers - "The Unrivaled Power of Prayer" - November 8th

"The Unrivaled Power of Prayer"

November 8th

By Oswald Chambers

"We do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered."

Romans 8:26 

Be realize that we are energized by the Holy Spirit for prayer; and we know that it is to pray in accordance with the Spirit; but we don't often realize that the Holy Spirit Himself prays prayers in us which we cannot utter ourselves. When we are born again of God and are indwelt by the Spirit of God, He expresses for us the unutterable.

"He", the Holy Spirit in you, "makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God" (8:27). And God searches your heart, not to know what your conscious prayers are, but to find out what the prayer of the Holy Spirit is.

The Spirit of God uses the nature of the believer as a temple in which to offer His prayers of intercession. "...your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit...: (1 Corinthians 6:19). When Jesus Christ cleansed the temple, "...He would not allow anyone to carry wares through the temple." (Mark 11:16). The Spirit of God will not allow you to use your body for your own convenience. Jesus ruthlessly cast out everyone who bought and sold in the temple, and said, "My house shall be called a house of prayer...But you have made it a 'den of thieves'" (Mark 11:17).

Have we come to realize that our "body is the temple of the holy Spirit"? If so, we must be careful to keep it undefiled for Him. We have to remember that our conscious life, even though only a small part of our total person, is to be regarded by us as a "temple of the Holy Spirit." He will be responsible for the unconscious part which we don't know, but we must pay careful attention to and guard the conscious part for which we are responsible.

Ten Days With Oswald Chambers - "The Undetected Sacredness of Circumstances" - November 7th

"The Undetected Sacredness of Circumstances"

November 7th

By Oswald Chambers

"We know that all things work together for good to those who love God..."

Romans 2:28  

The circumstances of a saint's life are ordained of God. In the life of a saint there is no such thing as chance. God by His providence brings you into circumstances that you can't understand at all, but the Spirit of God understands. God brings you to places, among people, and into certain conditions to accomplish a definite purpose through the intercession of the Spirit in you. Never put yourself in front of your circumstances and say, "I'm going to be my own providence here; I will watch this closely, or protect myself from that." All your circumstances are in the hand of God, and therefore you don't ever have to think they are unnatural or unique. Your part in intercessory prayer is not to agonize over how to intercede, but to use the every day circumstances and people God puts around you by His providence to bring them before His throne, and to allow the Spirit in you the opportunity to intercede for them. In this way God is going to touch the whole world with His saints.

Am I making the Hold Spirit's work difficult by being vague and unsure, or by trying to do His work for him? I must do the human side of intercession--utilize the circumstances in which I find myself and the people who surround me. I must keep my conscious life as a sacred place for the Holy Spirit. Then as I lift different ones to God through prayer, the Holy Spirit intercedes for them.

Your intercession can never be mine, and my intercession can never be yours, "...but the Spirit Himself makes intercession" in each of our lives (Romans8:26). And without that intercession, the lives of others would be left in poverty and ruin.

Ten Days With Oswald Chambers - "Intimate Theology" - November 6th

"Intimate Theology"

November 6th

By Oswald Chambers

"Do you believe this?"

John 11:26

Martha believed in the power available to Jesus Christ; she believed that if He had been there He could have healed her brother; she also believed that Jesus had a special intimacy with God, and that whatever He asked of God, God would do. But--she needed a closer personal intimacy with Jesus. Martha's theology has its fulfillment in the future. But Jesus continued to attract and draw her until her belief became an intimate possession. It then slowly emerged into a personal inheritance--"Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ..." (11:27).

Is the Lord dealing with you in the same way? Is Jesus teaching you to have a personal intimacy with Himself? Allow Him to drive His question home to you--"Do you believe this?" Are you facing an area of doubt in your life? Have you come, like Martha, to a crossroads of overwhelming circumstances where your theology is about to become a very personal belief? This happens only when a personal problem brings the awareness of our personal need.

To believe is to commit. In the area of intellectual learning I commit myself mentally, and reject anything not related to that belief. In the realm of personal belief I commit myself morally to my convictions and refuse to compromise. But in intimate personal belief I commit myself spiritually to Jesus Christ and make a determination to be dominated by Him alone.

Then, when I stand face to face with Jesus Christ and He says to me, "Do you believe this?" I find that faith is as natural as breathing. And I am staggered when I think how foolish I have been in not trusting Him earlier.

  

Ten Days With Oswald Chambers - "Partaking of His Sufferings" - November 5th

"Partaking of His Sufferings"

November 5th

By Oswald Chambers

"...but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ's sufferings...'

1 Peter 4:13  

If you are going to be used by God, He will take you through a number of experiences that are not meant for you personally at all. They are designed to make you useful in His hands, and enable you to understand what takes place in the lives of others. Because of this process, you will never be surprised be what comes your way. You say, "Oh, I can't deal with that person." Why can't you? God gave you sufficient opportunities to learn from Him about that problem; but you turned away, not heeding the lesson, because it seemed foolish to spend your time that way. 

The sufferings of Christ were not those of ordinary people. He suffered "according to the will of God" (1 Peter 4:19), having a different point of view of suffering from ours. It is only through our relationship with Jesus Christ that we can understand what God is after in His dealings with us. When it comes to suffering, it is part of our Christian culture to want to know God's purpose beforehand. In the history of the Christian church, the tendancy has been to avoid being identified with the sufferings of Jesus Christ. People have sought to carry out God's orders through a shortcut of their own. God's way is always the way of suffering--the way of the "long road home."

Are we partakers of Christ's suffering? Are we prepared for God to stamp out our personal ambitions? Are we prepared for God to destroy our individual decisions by supernaturally transforming them? It will mean not knowing why God is taking us that way, because knowing would make us spiritually proud. We never realize at the time what God is putting us through--we go through it more or less without understanding. Then suddenly we come to a place of enlightenment, and realize--"God has strengthened me and I didn't even know it!" 

Ten Days With Oswald Chambers - "The Authority of Truth" - November 4th

"The Authority of Truth"
November 4th
By Oswald Chambers 

"Draw near to God and He will draw near to you."
James 4:8  

It is essential that you give people the opportunity to act on the truths of God. The responsibility must be left with the individual--you cannot act for him. It must be his own deliberate act, but the evangelical message should always lead him to action. Refusing to act leaves a person paralyzed, exactly where he was previously. But once he acts, he is never the same. It is the apparent folly of the truth that stands in the way of hundreds who have been convicted by the Spirit of God. Once I press myself into action, I immediately begin to live. Anything less is merely existing. The moments I truly live are the moments when I act with my entire will.

When a truth of God is brought home to your soul, never allow it to pass without acting on it internally in your will, not necessarily externally in your physical life. Record it with ink and with blood--work it into your life. The weakest saint who transacts business with Jesus Christ is liberated the second he acts and God's almighty power is available on his behalf. We come up to the truth of God, confess we are wrong, but go back again. Then we approach it again and turn back, until we finally learn we have no business going back. When we are confronted with such a word of truth from our redeeming Lord, we must move directly to transact business with Him. "Come to Me..." (Matthew 11:28). His word come means "to act." Yet the last thing we want to do is come. But everyone who does come knows that, at that very moment , the supernatural power of the life of God invades him. The dominating power of the world, the flesh, and the devil is now paralyzed; not by your act, but because your act has joined you to God and tapped you in to His redemptive power.

Ted Days With Oswald Chambers - "A Bondservant of Jesus" - November 3rd

"A Bondservant of Jesus"

November 3rd
By Oswald Chambers 

"I have been crucified with Christ: it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me..."
Galatians 2:20

These words mean the breaking and collapse of my independence brought about by my own hands, and the surrendering of my life to the supremacy of the Lord Jesus. No one can can do this for me, I must do it myself. God may bring me up to this point three hundred and sixty-five times a year, but He cannot push me through it. It means breaking the hard outer layer of my individual independence from God, and the liberating of myself and my nature into oneness with Him; not following my own ideas, but choosing absolute loyalty to Jesus. Once I am at that point, there is no possibility of misunderstanding. Very few of us know anything about loyalty to Christ or understand what He meant when He said, "...for My sake" (Matthew 5:11). That is what makes a strong saint.

Has that breaking of my independence come? All the rest is religious fraud. The one point to decide is--will I give up? Will I surrender to Jesus Christ, placing no conditions whatsoever as to how the brokenness will come? I must be broken from my own understanding of myself. When I reach that point, immediately the reality of the supernatural identification with Jesus Christ takes place. And the witness of the Spirit of God is unmistakable--"I have been crucified with Christ...."

The passion of Christianity comes from deliberately signing away my own rights and becoming a bondservant of Jesus Christ. Until I do that, I will not begin to be a saint.

One student a year who hears God's call would be sufficient for God to have called the Bible Trained College into existence. This college has no value as an organization, not even academically. Its sole value for existence is for God to help Himself to lives. Will we allow Him to help Himself to us, or are we more concerned with our own ideas of what we are going to be?
 

 

Ten Days With Oswald Chanbers

Ten Days with Oswald Chambers

A ten day look into Chamber's treasured book, "My Utmost For His Highest." 

Starting November 3rd, I will be posting a lesson from Chamber's book every day until the 13th.

Come and join us as Chambers unlocks the jewels in Scripture with his book, "My Utmost For His Highest"!

 

The 31st of October

Today is such a special day for me...

...and no, it has nothing to do with the fact that it is Halloween.

Today me and my husband have been married for five months!

God has been so good to us. He has moved us far away from home, but He has sustained us. He has provided the Prince (I often refer to my husband as 'the prince') with a job that is great (though it takes him away from me on three week trips!!). He has just blessed us so far.

I am not trying to say there haven't been bumps in the road! By no means! We are going through a few things right now, in fact. I am trying to decide what God wants me to be doing right now since we are in an apartment and I don't have a job.

I used to be super ambitious and enthusiastic about going out and learning everything I could learn and becoming really good at a select few things. I am good at a lot of things in small ways, but I'd like to perfect some of those things. Lately I have lost some of that ambition and I really want to find it again.

Anyways, we are praying about where God has me. I have the chance to go to school and take some classes. I could get a job. I just need to figure out where God wants me the most...

You could be praying that God shows me where He wants me.

Well, back from that bunny trail...

Anywho, it is our fifth month anniversary! Not to be weird or anything. Should I announce this in a blog post? I'm not sure...

God bless!

Rachel H.

Beautiful in its Time

Oh me. What a day. It has been rough...to say the least. I feel small and weak, helpless and needy. My flesh tells me that I need to curl up in bed and just cry it all out. My mind says I have a right to disregard everything else around me in order to allow myself the freedom to just be sad. I know it isn't wrong to cry. It isn't. Crying helps a lot of the time. What I want to do however isn't a healthy way of expressing or releasing emotions. I want to escape everything and sit in my darkness and listen to all my fear and anxiety. I want to be alone with these things that are not of God.

I can hear Christ calling. I can see Him there, sadly but gently beckoning me to draw close to Him. He doesn't want me to hide away in the arms of self-pity or unhappiness. He wants me to lift my chin and smile. He wants me to lift my hands to heaven. He wants me to run from my darkness into His marvelous light. He wants me to crawl out of bed and open the shades and let the sun and beauty shine in. He wants me to don my armor and battle against the negative. He wants me to rise again and say, "Oh Lord, You are always good." He wants me to stretch my fledgling wings so that one day I might fly.

                                       (Photo taken by me at Lake Michigan in September)

The last thing our Lord wants is for us to shut ourselves up. He doesn't want  the cares of this world to make us turn away from Him. We need Him always, but seemingly the most when going though troubles. Please don't think that this issue, this lost job, this failing business venture, this rebellious child, this dying father, this health problem, this anything...(you name it) is going to change who you are in Christ.

Don't start to drift away from Him because of problems in your life. Come close and hang on tight, because He is holding onto you. Stand at the shores of His peace and in the waves of his grace. Remember who you are in Him, not in this world.

You are His.

I am His. Because of this fact, I refuse to give in to my flesh. I am not going to go and crawl into bed and pity myself for the bad day I have had. I am not going to shut out His light.

 I am going to bask in His glory and comfort and grace. I am going to listen to His truths whispered in my ear through scripture:

 ^"He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man's heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end." 

Ecclesiastes 3:11

 

Will I Suffer?

(This text is referencing a sermon by John Piper titled "Preparing to know Christ deeply through suffering". The sermon was preached at College Park Church, Indianapolis, IN. The sermon can be listened to at this link http://www.desiringgod.org/sermons/preparing-to-know-christ-deeply-through-suffering )

We, as Children of God are called to suffer.
 
The Bible clearly states that as children of the Almighty we are going to suffer for His name's sake. Romans 8:17 states, "..and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heir with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him." We are called to endure. We are to partake in the suffering of our Lord, are we not? 2 Timothy 2:12 says, "If we endure, we will also reign with Him: If we deny Him, He also will deny us." Because of our faith we are called to lay everything down, even our lives if it is asked of us. We are to count it all as loss. Everything we have, is it ours? Do we really have a right to keep what we have? Paul writes to the Philippians and speaks boldly of his sufferings and what he has endured. Did he do it for himself? No, he did it to gain Christ. To be closer to God. He writes,
   
"Although I myself might have confidence even in the flesh. If anyone else has a mind to put confidence in the flesh, I far more:  circumcised the eighth day, of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the Law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to the righteousness which is in the Law, found blameless.
 But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ.  More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ,  and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith,  that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead." Philippians 3:4-11

In verses 4-6 Paul is basically saying, "Really, if anyone is proud of himself, it should be me. I have a pedigree, I am a Hebrew of Hebrews. I know the Scriptures. I was looked up to by many. I persecuted Christians. I was blameless as to the Law." Obviously all of these things were his life, they where what gave him joy, his status, his purpose. Then when he met Christ on Damascus road, it all came crashing down. No more Pharisee, no longer a persecutor of the church, and no longer blameless in the face of the law but in the righteousness and blood of Christ. As a new creation, Paul saw all of these things as nothing. He counted what once was gain all as loss. Paul doesn't stop there, he doesn't just count a few things as loss to him but he counts 'all things' as loss compared to knowing Christ. Jesus speaks of this matter in Luke 14:33, "So then, none of you can be my disciple who does not give up all his own possessions."  

As a side note--If you have wondered about this verse before, I think Piper does a great job explaining what he believes it to mean. Here is what John Piper writes about Luke 14:33:


What This Means Practically
Now what does that mean practically? I think it means four things:

1. It means that whenever I am called upon to choose between anything in this world and Christ, I choose Christ.
2. It means that I will deal with the things of this world in ways that draw me nearer to Christ so that I gain more of Christ and enjoy more of him by the way I use the world.
3. It means that I will always deal with the things of this world in ways that show that they are not my treasure, but rather show that Christ is my treasure.
4. It means that if I lose any or all the things this world can offer, I will not lose my joy or my treasure or my life, because Christ is all.

Anyway, back to the Philippians text.

In the second half of verse 8, Paul goes on to tell us that he has suffered for the sake of Christ. He says, "I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ."

What does it mean to suffer the loss of all things? Can you even imagine? Does this man have no taste for comfort?! No desire to be happy?!

Yes. Paul has the best perspective on what it means to be happy. You know how that is?

HE HAS SEEN CHRIST. Through his sufferings he has gained Christ. Did he have Christ before suffering. Yes. Did he have deep communion? No. Not the type of communion that comes through suffering. After Job suffered--note that I said "after"--he said this about God, "I have heard of You by hearing of the ear; But now my eye sees You."

Is it possible that we see Christ clearer when we have suffered and endured for Him? I would say a resounding YES!!! Why wouldn't we? When all else gets stripped away, we can see. No longer do we have to look through the blur and fog of worries of this life. Our mind will be focused and our actions and prayers will be aimed at how we can bring Him glory rather than how we can give Him glory still holding onto the world with a white-knuckled death grip. 

Suffering brings contentment.

This may seem like a complete oxymoron, but if you turn it over in your mind, it makes sense. Not only is it logical, the statement can be backed up with scripture...

"Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity;  in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having an abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me." Philippians 4:11-13 

Paul is telling us that he has learned to be content in suffering and hunger. How can a person be content going hungry? How can one be happy when faced with suffering? Most of us don't realize what Paul is hitting on here. We brush over it and think, Well, Paul was and extraordinary person! Yes, he was in many ways, but he was human, he didn't have superpowers. He was like you and me. Can we, simple people (Who have the same calling to the same Lord), be like Paul? Can we rejoice in suffering? What good will a grumbling spirit do us (or anyone else) in the midst of suffering? It will only cause harm to come to our hearts and possibly to those who would otherwise be witnessed to by your faith. Scripture tells us that we should greatly rejoice in our sufferings:

"Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I do my share on behalf of His body, which is the church, in filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions." Colossians 1:24 

Here, the one who suffers (Paul) says that he will rejoice. He is not rejoicing for his own sake but for the sake of Christ and the church. Will you suffer for the sake of Christ and the church?

" ...they flogged them and ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and then released them. So they went on their way from the presence of the Council, rejoicing that they had been considered worthy to suffer shame for His name. And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they kept right on teaching and preaching Jesus as Christ." Acts 5:40-42

To me, it looks as if they were preaching and teaching, got taken before the Council, got punished by way of flogging, then they left rejoicing....WHAT IS THIS? They got flogged and they were rejoicing because they where counted worthy to suffer for Christ's name. Even after this shameful punishment they left rejoicing, ready to go out and speak Christ's name. They were really asking for it, huh? Obviously proclaiming the name of Jesus was more important to these men than the comfort of...well...NOT being flogged. 

In Philippians 3:9, I see Paul telling the church that his he has faith and righteousness through Christ, not through anything he has done. I also feel and underlying current of Paul's deep rooted faith being grounded not only in Christ but in the sufferings that he has endured for the sake of Christ. 

 We are strengthened and refined in struggles and sufferings.

"In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ." 1 Peter 6-7

Jesus also speaks of the "refining" of his people in John 15:2, "Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit."

Are you going to prepare yourself to suffer? Are you going to allow the Almighty to prune you so that you may bear more fruit? Is suffering a path that you are willing to take as a son of God?

It has to be.   

If you are a child of the Lord, you will suffer for His name's sake. You will face trials and tribulations. We will be shamed and yes, some will have the honor of giving their lives for the great calling of God.

Paul saw his sufferings as a way of fellowship with the sorrows and pain of Christ in His death on the cross (Phil. 3:10)

The last verse is very powerful. He speaks of his salvation here. He knows full well that if he is to suffer and die for Christ, he has eternity to look forward to. He is sure and confident in his faith and the redemption that was received when Christ laid down his life.

I can't help but hear the surety in Paul's voice when he speaks to the churches. I see a man who was saved by grace, therefore emboldened by Christ through prayer and outreach, completely ready to die for the call of the Kingdom, and totally surrendered to God while enduring the pains of flogging and imprisonment. 

We must ask ourselves, Will I suffer?



Note to the reader:
I was very inspired by John Piper's sermon (as mentioned above). I was lead to write this because it seemed to move me greatly. I may not have everything right. I pray that the Lord spoke through my words to encourage and lift you (who read this) up today. I ask that the Lord would reveal to me any untruth in the script above if there be any. I also pray that God would continue to bless and keep His children. May He watch over his persecuted one's and show those who have yet to taste suffering what it means to become deeply in love with Christ by rejoicing in any and every circumstance.

I am not in any way saying that I rejoice in the death of the persecuted, but I pray for them. I am merely making a point, rooted in scripture. The true children of God will suffer.

Acts 14:22

"Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God."

May God bless and keep you all! I hope you have a lovely week!

Blessings in Him,

Rachel

If you have any questions or would be interested in questioning/challenging this post, feel free to comment bellow. *Only comments that are free of profanity will be posted on this blog.*

 

Our Little Finish Lines

Things have been rather crazy on my end...but a good crazy. God has been showing me how much I need to lean on Him. In everything I seem to have a goal or pursuit that is worldly and will never get me what my heart is truly desiring. It is like life where a single person says that they would be happy if only they could get married. Or the married couple that says, if only we could have a baby. Or the lady who is expecting saying that she would be satisfied if only she would make it to 25 week. Or that family who wishes they could just get their kids through college and then everything would settle down and be happy and to their liking.

See?

We are always putting up walls and goals and signs, cheering ourselves on, hoping that once we reach our little finish line, we will be content. This is all a lie.

If you are single and you want to be married, marriage to the most perfect person in the world isn't going to make you happy for the rest of eternity. You will be happy, I hope, but not everything is going to be hunky-dory because you've run the half mile to get to your marriage finish line.

Why is it that we think that running a half mile or a mile to reach our goal is going to to make us content? Why do we live in the world of "if only"? We are putting ourselves through disappointment after disappointment, I'll tell you what. We do the same thing over and over and expect the same result. Isn't that the definition of insanity?

Are we all just insane?!

No. We are not just all insane (though some of us would boast that instability!). Listen to me, friends...

WE ARE HUMAN.

We are going to search the world we live in for the things that we think might make us content. It is in our nature to want to be comfortable and cozy.

*News flash*

Comfortable and cozy is nice for a while, but it's shine wears off quickly.

In order to be content as humans we have to turn our eyes upward. We have to seek what is so far above us, we can't fathom the wonders of the God who dwells there. We have to bow ourselves and submit our lives to the One who can give us true life.

We can't just run a mile. we have to train for and run the marathon. This is what we are asked to do. We are asked to run the race and win the prize. If you only make it a mile, what trophy will you boast? None. If you try to make your own finish line a few miles in, the marathon will still go on and you will find yourself sore with a trophy that fades quickly.

Set your eyes on Jesus. Don't turn to the right or to the left. Satisfy yourself in running towards the Kingdom of God.

So, all in all, I want to say that it is good to set the heart and hope in Christ. You will not be disappointed!

Blessings,

Rachel  

Foxe's Book of Martyrs

 
As of late I have been reading a book titled "Foxe's Book of Martyrs", you may have heard of it...you may not have. Anyways, I have greatly enjoyed it so far. I am about half way through.

The book is about many of the well known martyrs from shortly after Christ up until (I think) 1558. The first chapter is titled "The persecution of the early Christians", and is about the apostles and disciples who where brought to their deaths because they proclaimed Christ and would not reject Him, even unto death.

It was under Tiberius that the first persecution started. In the reign of Tiberius, Pilate (who condemned Christ to be crucified), was apprehended and sent to Rome, deposed, and then banished to a town in Dauphiny, where he took his own life. Shortly thereafter Tiberius died and was succeeded by Caligula, Claudius Nero, and Domitius Nero; all people of Rome. Caligula thought himself to be god and commanded that he be held as so, placing his image in all the temples, even in Jerusalem. By this man, Herod Antipas, the murderer of John the Baptist, was condemned to perpetual banishment where he died a miserable death. During the reign of Caligula, Caiaphas also was removed from the high priest's room an Jonathon made to take his place. The tribune, finally being able, slew the tyrannical leader in the fourth year of his reign.Claudius Nero came after him, reigning thirteen years with cruelty. His succesor was thardly to be compared to Claudius, for Domitius Nero reigned fourteen years with such tyrant and cruelty that he bro8ught the most part of the senators to death and demolished the the whole order of the knighthood in Rome. Under this leader half of Rome was set a blaze and then promptly blamed on the Christians. At long last the senate declared him an enemy to mankind and would have him executed.

Thirty years after our Lord, Titus and Vespasian sought to destroy the Jews, killing the greater of eleven hundred thousand (Which is the number given in the book). Many were sold into slavery, slain by beasts or by sword.

After the martyrdom of Stephen, James the apostle of Christ (the brother of John) suffered next. When before the tribunal seat, the man who brought about Jame's trouble saw that such a godly man was condemned to death, came to repentance and confessed his new faith in Christ. Both were brought to the place of execution, whereupon the man asked forgiveness of James. Being wholeheartedly forgiven by the apostle, both were beheaded together, A.D. 36.

Thomas preached to the Parthians, Medes, Persians, Carmanians, Hyrcanians, Bactrians and Magians. He suffered and died in Calamina, India having been slain with a dart.

Simon was crucified.

Mark preached the gospel in Egypt. He was martyred by being drawn with ropes into fire. This was done under the reign of Trajan the emperor. Barholemew also preached unto the Indians and was said to have translated the gospel of Matthew into the native tongue. He was beaten with staves, crucified and beheaded.

Andrew spoke to the Scythians, Sogdians, and the Sacae. He was crucified and buried in a city of Achaia, Patrae. He went to his death singing praises to the Lord and giving thanks for his ability to suffer as Christ suffered.

Matthew wrote his gospel to the Jews in the Hebrew language. After converting much of Ethiopia and Egypt, one was sent of Hercanus (their king) to run him through with a spear.

Philip was crucified and stoned to death.

James, the brother of the Lord was looked up to by many. he was called "The Just" and "The safeguard of the people". In that time, the Jews, Scribes, and Pharisees saw danger in the people looking to Jesus as the Christ. Thus, they gathered together and brought James to them and asked if he would stand at the roof of the temple and restrain the people with words and 'right teaching' about Jesus. they hoped for him to tell the people that Jesus was not the Christ, and that they were all wrong to think of Him to be the messiah. They set him at the pinnacle of the temple and called to him, "Thou just man, whom we all ought to obey, this people is going astray after Jesus which is crucified." Ja,es answered by saying, "Why do you ask me of Jesus the Son of Man? He sitteth on the right hand of the Most High, and shall come in the Clouds of heaven." many in the throngs below looked to heaven and believed, glorifying God. The scribes, seeing the mistake they had made sought to throw him from the temple roof. The fall did not kill him and so he knelt and prayed for his persecutors. They stoned him thereafter.

The book goes on to tell about the persecution by the Romans, the Roman Catholic Church, etc.

This is only the beginning of the story. So many have given their lives for Christ. There is not a more just cause to lay down one's life.

Think about what you face today. Think about what has been placed in your path. Is it death? I doubt it, though God has this for some. Have you seen suffering for your faith? Have you been able to praise the name of the Lord even in the small trials? Where will your strength come, if you have not practiced being faithful in the little things? Will you go to your death praising the Lord?

This book has put into perspective what it means to be a believer and what it means to stay true to one's faith and Savior.

I hope you will read this book.

God, not man

There are those of us who are visionaries and those of us who aren't. It is that simple. Visionaries tend to take an idea or dream and run with it, making it a reality by way of prayer, work and anticipation. Non-visionaries often focus on the present, pouring energy into the here and now.

 I'm not erring on either side or saying that visionaries are better than non-visionaries or the other way around. I think both types of people are very effective in their own ways.

A visionary may have his or her future thought out and have a vision for what that is going to hopefully look like. He or she may have a dream for ministry and outreach that has been growing in their mind. They may have a good idea about a lot of things but not know what the day's schedule should be, or what he or she is going to eat for breakfast.

A non-visionary is going to have an idea about the day ahead and probably will have already eaten breakfast, knowing that there is work to be done that day. He or she may not know everything about the day, or what it is all going to entail, but they know that it is a day, and every day is different, and God has a plan for each day.
 
These two types of people are very different in their way of thinking. They go about tasks differently. They talk differently. They plan in opposite ways. They do ministry differently. They are radical opposites...I don't really need to go on, right? The names we use make it obvious: Visionary and NON-visionary.

Okay, now I want to make my point. I am not going to argue over whether one is better than the other or whether I am one or the other. It honestly doesn't matter! God has created us all to be unique and different. What I am going to try and get at here is vision in general.

When it comes to being human, which we all are, I hope, vision is something that drives us. Whether we are considered to be "visionary" or not. We as children of the Almighty need to have a vision. We need to have a goal, something to strive for.

When I say "vision", I'm not talking about some life changing, radical flash of lightning/boom bang that happens in the middle of the night or on your Damascus road. I'm not talking about the reason why your grandmother wears glasses.

 I'm talking about something that is ordinary yet extraordinary. Simple yet complicated. Driving and compelling.

This "vision" I speak of has to do with your life and what you are going to do with it. Whether you are focusing on the day ahead or the year ahead, vision helps to bring clarity to those who are trying to walk the Narrow Way.

Vision has to do with what God is calling you to do with your life.

I can give you an example from scripture in just a moment.

Say a father wants to have a vision for his family and he is looking in scripture to find something that would point him to a more specific goal. He finds this verse:

"...May the God who gives perseverance and encouragement grant you to be of the same mind with one another according to Christ Jesus, so that with one accord you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ." Romans 15:5-6

So....this verse can bring about a vision in a man's mind. It tells him that he must unify his family and with one accord glorify the Father. This is very basic, but this is vision. It is a starting point. From this point one can grow into a more specific vision. There are other aspects of this that lead to a greater fuller vision for a family.

I hope I am not completely confusing you all! I am trying to bring about a realization that this generation lacks vision. So often people are living in the here and now to please themselves. There are those who live in the here and now to praise the Lord, and there is nothing wrong with that. But what I see is people wandering here and there just doing the next thing. There is no hope in their calling. There is no drive in their step. There is nothing backing their search for true happiness other than selfishness and worthless hope in this world.

If you are in Christ, it is your job to have a vision. Whether it is a small or big vision, it is there, and it should exist to honor and magnify the Creator.

What are your motives? What are your goals? What drives you? What makes you happy?

Ask yourself these questions as you search your heart and determine whether you have vision, whether the vision is God-honoring, and whether there is a hope in what you are striving for.

If you are a parent, it is so important to have a family vision. When you have this vision it grows and develops over the years. Your children will feed into it and will be able to make decisions based off of this. Both mother and father will be on the same page knowing that they are running towards the same finish line. They can be unified in the way they plan, work and discipline, because they know they have the same goal.

If you are married without kids, it is good to pray about what God has for you as a couple. What vision does God want the two of you to have?

If you are single, it is the same. Ask God for a drive to have a goal, something that you can work towards for His glory. Whether you are on the college campus or in your parents home, you can find vision. While you are still at home, you can seek out the family vision and strive to fulfill the vision you father has for the family. If you are out on your own, look for opportunity to joint the vision of a church, fellowship, or group that has the same values as you do.

Please, hear what I am saying, not because I am saying it, but because this is a pressing issue. So many families are falling apart because they have no goal, nothing to throw their weight against as a unified team. When a family is not unified in vision the ropes that tie them together start to fray and split, causing more damage and a loose, dangerous hold.

I feel that I may have made my point, and I pray it is clear. You don't have to be a visionary to have a vision, and if you are a visionary, it still may prove to be a challenge to seek God for this vision.

Make it a priority to place in your life a goal. Bring yourself to a point where you have something to run hard after. And I'm not saying, "Go, do anything..." I'm speaking about a vision that brings about the glorification of God, not man.

In hope and Christ's Strength,

~Rachel

My Family is Starting a Business!!!!!!!!!!!!

I know this is totally random and all, but I thought I would share, because I care about the farm so much (and miss it so much [wipes tears out of eyes])! My dream was to start a ministry/business while I was home making house, but it never happened. Now my mom is bringing the dream into reality by starting a business :)

I would love to support her in any way possible, so I have decided to brag on her ;)

The farm name is "Raisin' Acres Farm", a place where you will find healthy happy chickens, goats, cows, dogs, turkeys, rabbits, and cats. The usefulness of the latter is merely to keep the ego of the barn running (they have five sassy cats). Mom makes goat milk soap, creme and herbal salves.

PLEASE CHECK OUR THE WEBSITE IF YOU ARE INTERESTED!!!

Here is the link to the site:

 
http://www.raisinacresfarm.com/

Walking in love

"Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; walking in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma." Ephesians 5:1

What does it mean to be imitators of God? How do we do this? 

This verse seems to give us a crucial piece of information: "...walk in love..."

When we see this it is easy to think, I walk in love. I tell my wife I love her. I give to charity.

Yes, in some ways you may be walking in love, but you are not fully walking in love until you grasp the depth of what it means to love "just as Christ also loved".

You can be doing wonderful things for people outside of the home and once you step over the threshold, loving the ones you live with seems ten times as hard.

Christ loved. When I say he loved, I mean it killed Him. He brought it all to the table and held nothing back. He "...gave Himself up for us..."

Your family may be hard to love at times, right? Why?

What difference should it make that you live with them? The very fact that you know them gives you the perfect opportunity to love them best. You know their weaknesses and you see their strengths. Just to pray for them every day in a heart of humility would be loving them! You can't wait for someone to change before you start loving them the way you ought, the way you have been commanded to love them by God.

Jesus didn't wait for us to become more holy or more worthy before he started to love us.

"For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly...while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:6 and 8.

Would you die for a sinner? Would you lay you life down to save your fellow man?

This is the call to love, brethren. Will you walk in love?

"Greater love has no man than this, that one lay down his life for his friends" John 15:13

I'm not telling you to go out and look for opportunities to die for people, honest. I'm just expressing the extreme side of this "walking in love". Christ commands us to love as he has loved, "This is my  commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you." John 15:12

So way does this mean for us? How can we apply it?

Well, I would say a good place to start would be within the walls of your own home. Remember, a family who loves one another is a greater light to the world  than someone who thinks love can be expressed through the mere giving of money or an outward display of charity. To love your family is to sacrifice your time and energy to be with them and pray for them. To love is to commit to be strong through the storms with them. To love is to be honest and grace filled. To love is to be yourself, not what the world says you should be. To love is to lay down desires to help fulfill the dreams of others. To love is to be courageous and truthful. To love is to honor and respect. To love is to put your pride away and act in humility.

Ah... What a picture. If we all took Christ's command to heart and loved to the best of our ability in Christ, this world would be completely turned upside down. People would be changed. The lost wold be found. The hope of the Cross would bleed from our lives lived in the glorious reality of Jesus's sacrifice for us. 

What are we waiting for?! What is keeping us from the beauty of "walking in love"?

Let us strive to attain to our Lord's command to love one another. Let us lay down our lives if we are called to do so. 

Let us walk in love, beloved. Let us walk in love.

Our God Isn't A Vending Machine Y'all

Have you ever sat down in the quiet of the morning and listened, I mean, really listened for God's voice? Have you ever been able to escape the noise and the busy of the day just to bask in His presence and praise His holy name? Have you put aside time to make this happen?

So many times a day I breathe a prayer asking God for something. Well....how many times a day do I expect Him to do great things? How many times a day do I fall on my knees and give Him my full attention, my heart and soul? How many times a day do I actually listen for His answer?

Oftentimes frustration and anger can come out of many prayers prayed in a hurried thoughtless manner. Why should the God of the Universe answer me if I am treating Him like a vending machine? In goes a dollar prayer, and out comes a package of happiness, joy and peace. And sometimes the package gets stuck and no mater how many dollars you throw into the thing, what you've asked for just won't come out.

News flash #1 Our God isn't a vending machine y'all.

He is holy. He is sovereign. He is truth. He is light. He is life. He is grace. He is mercy. He is righteous wrath. He is redemption. He is love. 

Because our God is who He is (see notes above), it just doesn't cut it to throw prayers at Him like spendable money. He is able and He does answer prayers, but why should He answer yours? *What makes you think that He wants to give you good things? *Why do you think He listens when you have little time to give to Him?

Listen to what Scripture says about prayer:

"Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted you." Mark 11:24 (NASB)

"Now Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of His disciples said to Him, 'Lord, teach us how to pray...'" Luke 11:1 (ESV)

"Depart from me, all you workers of evil, for the Lord has heard the sound of my weeping. The Lord has heard my plea; the Lord accepts my prayer." Psalm 6:8-9 (ESV)

"The Lord is far from the wicked, but He hears the prayer of the righteous." Proverbs 15:29 (ESV)

"If you them, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!" Matthew 7:11

I could go on and on. There is so much in the bible that points to prayer, the attitude of it, the importance of it, and how much God's servants prayed.

*God wants to give you good gifts
*He listens to your prayers

News Flash #2 Our God isn't a child.

In biblical times, prayer was communicating with the Creator. It wasn't half heatedly mouthing a prayer while driving down the street, talking on the phone with the radio blaring. For one thing, don't do that! It isn't safe! Also, it isn't showing God the respect He deserves. He is a holy God, not your younger sibling. He deserves more than a pat on the head or a few short words to "make him feel good." If we are being honest and serious with our Lord, we will treat Him with respect and honor as we take time out of our busy schedules just to spend alone time with Him.

We do pray a lot, I am sure, but how often do we pray just to be with our Lord? When we pray to ask something of our God, how many times do we actually expect Him to do great things? How often do we really know that He is hearing us? When we do drop to our knees are we praying in belief or in doubt?

We have so many plans and so much on our hearts and minds. Often it is hard to see through the fog and hear above the noise. It is plain difficult to discern His voice in the midst of life's clatter.

Yet....we must. He is our breath. He is our sustainer.  He is the one we should be most ready to run to in the weary days, in the damp of the evening, in the cool of the morning. He is the one who gives life, breath, and rest. Why do we run to everything but Him?

Matthew 11:28-30 says, "Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, for I am gentle and humble in heart and you will find rest for your soul. For My yoke is easy and my burden is light."

Notice the red lettering. My Lord spoke these words and He meant them. He was beckoning to all of us. He was saying, "Come to Me, child. Find rest in Me."

At the end of a long and busy day, don't just drop into bed and half pray, half fall asleep. Kneel down (I've got to do this so I don't fall asleep) and plead with Him. Pour out your heart. Give it all to Him. Don't let this nagging world turn your eyes from Jesus.

Please don't take this post wrongly, friend. I am not saying that a quick prayer in the car is a bad thing. In fact, I encourage you to lead a praying life where quick prayers are filling up your day with praises and requests, but at the same time I hope that a special time be set aside where you can be alone with your Lord. A time where thanksgiving and honor can be bestowed upon the Almighty.

Also, pray with an expectant heart. Don't cast your prayers at God like they are going to bounce back at you. Seriously; believe and you will receive. Pray as if you knew something great were going to happen. Pray like you expect an answer. Pray and listen. When you listen you may just hear that 'still small voice' beckoning to you. Don't give up my friend. There is always hope. Revive your prayer life and watch as your heart begins to blossom in Him.

Blessings Always,

Rachel