Is God silent as we walk through life......

It is amazing how Daddy loves to get all His children on the same page.  As I was sitting in church today, the pastor says, "God is often silent in some situations, but that does not reflect how He feels about you."  I had just had a conversation with my daughter regarding this.  Daddy's silence does NOT mean disapproval.  In fact when He is quiet, many time He is thrilled with us.  He doesn't need to voice His directions every second if He has given His mature sons and daughters a specific Word.  We are doing well walking out His command.  He will, however, give us reassurance when we ask.  


I gave an illustration to my daughter.  When she was learning how to walk, she would hold on to everything and not let go.  We tried to get her to walk across the living room floor without holding on to anything.  Nope, she would plop her butt down and crawl to the other side.  So I got some wooden clothes pins.  She held on to one end and I held on to the other.  I walked her across the living room floor eight to ten times.  Each time I would encourage her on the outstanding job she was doing.  Then one time I let go without her knowing. She walked the complete breadth of the room without my help.  When she looked up for my encouragement, she realized I was not holding on anymore.  Thus she immediately plopped down.  But I squealed with delight on how great and awesome she did.  Her face lit up.  Then we walked back across the room together, me holding the clothes pins with her.  Eventually, she gained enough confidence that she was walking EVERYWHERE without my assistance.  


Isn't that how Daddy is with us!  He holds our hand, gives us directions, and walks with us.  He is so delighted when we step out on faith and trust that He IS there, cheering us on.  Don't allow your present situation to determine your future....  Daddy's Words are true and steadfast.  If He has said it, it will come to pass.  Continue to walk by faith, ask for reassurance, and know He cannot leave you.  How does He feel about you?  He LOVES you!  He loves you when you plop your butt down and crawl to your destination.  He loves you when you cry out, "I don't get it.  Why is this taking soooooo long?"  He loves you when you are hurting, bloody, and desperate to be held by Him.  He loves you when you fall flat on your face.  Daddy loves!  We have to grasp this so deep in our spirit.  We are made in His image and are and will always be connected to Him by His LOVE... It is who He is.  When the boss let's you go from a job, when your husband says there is someone else, when the diagnosis is cancer, when there isn't enough money to pay the bills, when the doctors says you have lost a child, when your parents step into eternity, when close friends and spiritual leaders walk away, when you are lonely and want just to be held, when..... Daddy is LOVE.  He is there to hold the 'clothes pins' in life and watch you successfully walk across the floor.  How do I KNOW this.... I have successfully walked through each and every one of those circumstances. My Daddy LOVES!!!

Firefighting....

 My son is pursuing  his dream of being a firefighter.  He turned 16 this year and researched everything he needed to do to become a junior volunteer firefighter.  He has accomplished it.  I am so proud of him.  A few days ago, a close friend posted this on my Facebook....

"A firefighter is being yelled at for taking too long to get there, while trying desperately to save the life of a total stranger, holding his bladder because he didn't have time to pee when the alarm sounded, starving because he missed one of his three meals, tired because the alarm sounded just as he closed his eyes and it is now 4 in the morning and missing his family while taking care of yours. Thank a firefighter." 

It gives a whole new meaning to what adventures he is walking into.  He has determination, strong will, and compassion for the job that will allow him to completely fulfill his dream.  He has another unfair advantage.  He knows Jesus.  He is doing great exploits for his Lord and Savior.  When he steps foot into the station, he brings the Presence of the Almighty.  When he arrives on a scene, he brings the Power to raise the dead and heal the sick.  When comforts a citizen, he brings hope of eternal love and life.  He has the opportunity to rescue and save lives in the physical and spiritual realm.  I am truly proud and blessed to have a wonderful son!!

Young volunteers learning to save lives....

Engine 22

Went to a day camp to 'cool' off the children...how fun!

 

Do I fit in.....

A close friend of mine sent me a link to a blog.  In reading it, of course, my mind began to whirl.  What kind of church body do I attend?  What kind of church do I represent? How open am I? Do I 'fit in' or make others feel 'unwanted'?

I understand there needs to be protocol, set boundaries, and guidelines when leading a group of people.  But do we solely base our 'Christianity' on these man-made rules?  The below link really touched my heart.  http://www.digtriad.com/news/article/178958/1/NC-Boy-With-Cerebral-Palsy-Asked-To-Leave-Easter-Service

What if this woman came to my local body of worship.  Would I welcome her, or just sit quietly and hope the ushers greeted her?  Am I too comfortable in my comfort zone?  What about outside of the church walls?  What if I met this person in Wal-Mart, would I smile, give a kind word, pray for her, or snub my nose, turn away for lack of something to say, be too busy to give her any mind (because I'm in a rush and it's all about me!) I have literally prayed that if I have ever made someone feel left out, not part of the group, or below me, "Daddy, please forgive me!" I am to be an ambassador for Christ.  I am to share LOVE, peace, compassion with others.

The woman at the well is an example of how we are to engage others.  In John 4, Jesus had a deep conversation with this woman.  She, at first, could not believe this 'man' would talk with her, let alone ask for her to draw water for Him.  How soft spoken He must have been, tender in His responses.  His Words so full of life drawing her ever so close to the Daddy's heart.  The compassion for all her hurts, pains, and rejection.  When playing the scene out in my head, I wonder what do you think she was wearing? How do you think she was acting, at the beginning of the conversation? Remember, she had been married 5 times and the guy she was living with was not her hubby.  Do you think she had a few scars? Do you think she had a good self image? What if because of how she was dressed, how she responded, or even the scars of being passed from husband to husband, Jesus was 'too busy', 'put off by her' or 'snubbed her because she didn't measure up to what was deemed protocol'?  That is not Daddy's heart.  The Word states in verse 42, "They said to the woman, “We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.”"

It's kinda funny, I have tons of stories on how I totally embarrassed my parents in church.  I was about three or four and we were having revival. (we always sat in the second or third row at church)  We had a guest evangelist come in and he called for a 'healing line'.  This very dignified older lady was in the line.  The evangelist put his hand on her head and kinda slid his hand back in her hair.  Holy Spirit fell on this woman and she started dancing.  And dancing she did, right out from under her wig!!  Well of course, I HAD to say something!!  "Mommy, look at that lady with no hair! Why is she dancing with no hair?! That's funny!"  Then in one swoop, up I went and off to the 'famous' restroom for one of 'those' talks.  What if my parents were asked to not come back, were not accepted, or made to feel 'unaccepted'?  Where would I be?  I grew up in church, have deep roots in Christianity, and have allowed Daddy to change me from the inside out.  I want to be in the middle of what Jesus is doing in the world today.  I want to encounter Him with such a compassionate, hungry heart so I can be an encounter to others who need an encounter with Him.

An Outcast....

Heard a song today.  I have heard it a few times and really liked it.  It was almost a drawing towards it.  So I looked up the lyrics and it describes ME.  It made me think about my life, past and present.  It made me ponder questions that resonated in my spirit.  Do I stand my ground?  The Words He has given me, do I fight for them? At what cost? Do I give in?

My whole life, I have been different... I have never "fit in" or been the "popular" one.  Only because of maturity is there now a filter on what I speak out loud.  But in my intimate times, Daddy and I have had some interesting conversations.  So the first fight (yes I said first, there were others) I was in was because a girl said I was always smiling.  When I stood up to her, ducked on her first punch, but made contact between my fist and her cheek, we became close friends.  She told me I was the first girl to not take her 'crap' and stand up for who I was.  How many times does the enemy throw punches and we compromise while taking his 'crap'.  We are to stand up for what we believe.

As an adult, do I still get into fights?  You bet!  My relationship with my Daddy is always under attack from the enemy.  I have to fight to spend time in prayer, soaking, reading His Word, talking, or just being with Him on a moment by moment basis.  Sometimes I say things that cut and offend others.  I support issues close to His heart that are, in today society, controversial.  (Pro Life, Man & Woman Marriages, His Word is Truth)

As for my family, totally!  I walked through a very painful and ugly divorce.  I fought for my children, I fought against abuse, I fought for wholeness in our lives.  This is a moment by moment effort because the fight is still going on.  Covering the family with prayer, love, joy, security, and hope. 

As for my health, absolutely!  By His stripes I am healed... I have been healed of two cancers: Choriocarcinoma and Leukemia.  I have been told three times I was going to die. I have fought, and still fighting, thyroid disease, adrenal fatigue, and celiac disease.  HA, they don't know who my Daddy is! I am healed.  I declare it daily. 

In 2 Timothy 4:7, Paul states, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have remained faithful..." What I am living for is so much better than what the world has to offer.  I don't follow all the rules 'they' make, I don't sugar coat what is undeniable, I am an outcast.  What I believe makes me strong because in Him the weak are strong.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FfJ2-N5EGRY

A Miracle....

On Sunday, while being fed meat, the Word was so savory that all week I have mediated on it.  The passage was from Luke 8:22-40.  Talk about left turns.  Jesus tells His guys, "Let's go across the lake."  Jesus knew what was before them.  So they got in the boat.  These were fishermen.  They were afraid, so that tells me it was one heck of a storm.  In my life, I am confident in who I am and my purpose.  But sometimes storms come and I am totally afraid.  But just like the guys in the boat, I know where to run, who to shake, how to cry out to... My Daddy ALWAYS answers me! They land and a naked crazed man is their greeting committee.  (I try to avoid those kind of men) But he needed what the guys in the boat needed...a miracle! 

It is interesting that the guys in the boat and the demoniac needed a miracle, a life changing event to happen immediately.  They ran to Jesus.  They received.  But it is amazing how the people around them acted, friends, family, townspeople, local church, they demanded that Jesus leave.  They liked the way things were.  Some people in your life don't want you to have a miracle. They don't want change. Jesus went through a storm and came across a lake for one man, who need of desperation was so great that only a radical miracle was the solution.  That is love.  My Daddy comes when I have a need.  See, I run to Him because He is in my boat, He is on the shore of my chaos.  I believe in Jesus with every ounce of energy in me, but sometimes I have to cry out, humble myself, and ask for Daddy to help with my unbelief.  That is when I am stretched.  My need is daily. 

I am so blessed to belong to an intimate family.  I am believing for life changing events to happen immediately.  I need daily miracles.  I belong to Daddy, Abba! 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-GeVf1XQOPg

Tat....

Interesting how God will set you up, in a good way, of course.  I had my tat prophetically spoken over.  Yes, the Tattoo Prophet told me the spiritual insight of me inking my body.  As I mulled over and over what was said, I realize we do NOTHING in our lives without a Holy thread running through it.  

My tat is very simple, but in God's viewpoint, very rich with heritage and anointing.  He described a LOVE that has been a mantle in my family for generations.  It runs deep and wide.  Many attacks have been launched against this LOVE.  Many assaults have weakened it at times.  Division, divorce, strife, grudges, death have tried to rip it from the roots of where it originated.  It is a Spirit of Adoption, graphed into the Body of Jesus Christ.  A rich LOVE that will never die, never surrender to the enemy, unbreakable, full of life and joy.  

See, I remember my mom telling me stories when I was younger of my great grandmother.  She was a petite, strong, energetic woman.  She lived simple and was poor according to the world's standards.  She was a farmer's wife.  But at night, my mom and her sister would sneak into my great grandmother's room and hide under the bed.  Great grandmother would come in, place a candle on her bedside table, gentle open her worn torn Bible and begin.  She would read the Precious Scriptures aloud, speak in a different language, then she would call each family member by name.  "Heavenly Father, lead Cliff, Bernice, Bettye, Marjorie (my mom), Trent, and Dale in Your Holy Path.  Let them walk daily with You.  Let each of my grandchildren's children walk with You.  Let my great grandchildren and my great great grandchildren walk daily with You.  For all generations to come." The room would be warm, cozy, inviting, and glowing with the Presence of God.  My mom and her sister would fall asleep listening to the intimate LOVE that a Creator and His creation shared.  

My great grandmother not only prayed for my salvation but my children's children.  I have a heritage of LOVE.  I have a root that goes so deep, no wonder the enemy tries to destroy it.  She had no idea the rough, heartbreaking events that would carve my life and my children's lives.  But she did know if she prayed, her faithful Heavenly Father would answer her prayers.

Well my tat states that for the world to see visibly.  I now pray that the world will also see it spiritually.  The questions that lay at hand are, will I continue to pray for the third and fourth generations to come?  Will I soak in His Word, pray in a different language, call forth generations to rise and be warriors, to fulfill their destiny in the Kingdom?  As I meditate on this, I ask you the same questions.  Are you calling forth the generations that will come from you?  What kind of heritage and legacy are you leaving for your great grandchildren?   None of us live for ourselves.....