Taking Time to Heal

So, I went to see "Fireproof" the other night and thought it was just incredible. There were many scenes from the movie that will stay with me but one that really stood out to me was the "salt and pepper" scene. In this scene, the main character (Caleb) is complaining to his friend, (Michael) about how he just doesn't think his heart is in his marriage any more. While Michael is talking to Caleb about how marriage is a life-long covenant, not to be taken lightly, he super-glues a salt and pepper shaker together to make a point. After their conversation, Caleb indicates that he gets the point and then grabs the salt and pepper shaker and says "But you didn't have to glue them together" and starts to pull them apart. Michael then says, firmly, "Don't do it Caleb. If you pull them apart now, you'll break either one or both of them."
(click here to watch this scene)
In the Divorce Care Devotions book, Steve Grissom writes "When a couple marries, they are no longer two individuals. They become what the Bible calls 'one flesh.' (Genesis 2:24)"
"...To better understand the extreme pain of separation and divorce, think about what happens when a marriage bond comes apart. The married couple does not revert to being two individuals again. Instead, they become two parts of the same one-flesh marriage, torn away, with huge, gaping emotional wounds....Jesus describes this one-flesh relationship: 'So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate' (Mark 10:8-9)."
I am writing this not to depress you further if you are divorced, but to encourage you to give yourself GRACE to feel the hurt and then to take the time, however long it may be, to heal. Sometimes well-meaning family or friends will tell us that it is time to "move on", "get over it", "just let it go" and etc., and yes, there is a time to stop dwelling in the past and to move forward but there is also a time to be realistic about the huge open wounds you have and giving yourself time for these wounds to heal. When your husband has broken the marriage covenant he made before God, through abandonment or adultery, then he has ripped apart what God had joined together. You WILL feel ripped in two, because you HAVE been ripped in two; it is just a supernatural, spiritual law concerning marriage and it HURTS, an unbelievable, piercing pain.
When we are torn in two like this, whether by our own actions or by the actions of our spouse, then there is only one place where we can turn for complete healing. In Luke 4:18, Jesus says "The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because...He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed."
Grissom writes: "Divorce is open-heart surgery, emotionally. Some people are not willing to give it enough time, and their expectations for recovery are too fast. When you get up and go faster than you are supposed to and you push your healing cycle too quickly, you have to do it over again and you get a relapse. What would normally take five years is going to take six or seven because you've done more damage to yourself in the process....Relax. Breathe deeply. You have just had open-heart surgery and the prognosis is good. You will recover, but be prepared for therapeutic exercises, time for rest, getting back into work slowly, and for other people to think you look healthy on the outside when you still have a lot of healing left to do on the inside. Psalm 147:3, 5 says: ' He heals the broken-hearted and binds up their wounds...Great is our Lord and might in power; his understanding has no limit.'"
Stop pushing yourself. Stop guilting yourself. Stop putting on a yoke that is not yours to bear. Just stop in your tracks right now....and just BE where God has you right now. Be still. Be loved. Be quiet. Rest in Him. Rest in His Grace. Rest in His love.....Rest and Heal. The Lord WILL restore your health to you - spiritually and mentally but, just as with physical illness, you have to make provisions to take care of yourself - feed yourself the Word instead of chicken soup and get away from all the "noise" that is only adding to the "migraine" in your heart - surround yourself with peace and quiet. Turn off your phone. Don't answer those calls. Don't read those E-mails. Shut out the "noise." Then, instead of crawling into your bed to sleep for hours on end, crawl to your Father and rest in His arms knowing that He holds you there, protecting you, and He says that no one can take you from out of His hand (Deut 32:39).
I have read a lot of books on divorce by now and, interestingly, these books have all agreed that for true over-all healing, you have to allow yourself AT LEAST 18 months (most say 24 months) from the date of the finalization of your divorce. For some people this number may be frustrating as they want their healing right away. For me, however, this number was always comforting as it freed me from so much guilt and feelings of failure that I wasn't yet "over it". Everyone's timeline will be unique of course and there is no set formula for healing. The important thing is that you give yourself the time to heal but also that during that time, you are always taking steps forward and not just dwelling in the pain or digging yourself into a deeper pit. Just as the open-heart patient must eventually begin physical rehabilitation and exercise, you also need to slowly and patiently take steps toward your healing and "rehabilitation". If not, you could be five, ten, or twenty years away from your divorce and still be just as crippled and in pain as when the divorce first began. But this is not where any of us want to be. We want to be whole again, peaceful, joyful, restored and this, through Christ, is where you WILL be if you keep following Him, one foot in front of the other, following His lead. You WILL come out of this pain if you follow Him because this is where HE wants you to be, according to His word - His will for you in Christ is to be freed, reborn, renewed, and victorious - Thank You Lord!! Amen!

Lord, I trust you with my healing. I will receive your grace and your compassion and I will give myself time to be healed. Lord, I ask you to walk with me through this process and guide my steps. Show me the steps to take and the paths to pursue in my healing. I trust you Lord that weeping may endure for a night but that JOY WILL COME IN THE MORNING. I believe that you reward those who earnestly seek You and I am seeking Your way now and not my own way, Your true healing and not my own attempts to heal- In Your Name, Amen.

Questioning God - The WHY's??

Okay, so I am reading The Shack right now, by William P. Young. Apparently there is some controversy out there right now about this book and people being offended by the "theology" in it. I don't know about all that and don't really want to get into it. All I know is that I was reading a part in the book today that just brought tears to my eyes and I had to share it. It was beautiful and so much on the path where God has been leading me recently.
In the book, the main person in the story (Mack) has had a horrible life-altering experience and begins to question God's compassion, love, and justice. Mack then has a chance to "meet" with the Triune God and, during this, has the following conversation with God:
Mack: "What is the value in [this horrible thing that happened]? ...You may not cause those things but you certainly don't stop them."
God: "There are millions of reasons to allow pain and hurt and suffering rather than to eradicate them, but most of those reasons can only be understood within each person's story. I am not evil. You are the ones who embrace fear and pain and power and rights so readily in your relationships. But your choices are also not stronger than my purposes, and I will use every choice you make for the ultimate good and the most loving outcome.....If you could only see how all of this ends and what we (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) will achieve without the violation of one human will - then you would understand. One day you will (understand).....The real underlying flaw in your life, Mack, is that you don't think I am good. If you knew I was good and that everything - the means, the ends, and all the processes of individual lives - is all covered by my goodness, then while you might not always understand what I am doing, you would trust me. But you don't....Trust is the fruit of a relationship in which you know you are loved. Because you do not know that I love you, you cannot trust me. "
Mack: "One last comment....I just can't imagine any final outcome that would justify all this [all of the bad things that have happened in his life]".
God: "We are not justifying it. We are redeeming it."

Wow. I'm sorry if that doesn't just hit you like it did me, but I thought it was so awesome. For so long, I spent time asking God "Why???WHY????" and wanting an answer. Finally, about 7 months ago, after almost 3 years of beating my head against the wall, I found that it was time to let go of needing to know the "why", and finally, in letting go, I have a PEACE like never before - an overwhelming, heart flooding peace. We have to come to a point where we realize that we can NEVER truly understand the "whys" until that day we are face to face with God in heaven and able to see His overall plan, which will be mind-boggling and, I believe, will silence all tongues from ever asking "why" again!!!!
PJ said to me one time when I was trying to figure out the "why's" - "You can't keep asking why - in doing this, you are trying to understand an infinite God with a finite mind" and she was SO RIGHT. I've written about this before, but when I was in that stage where I was praying and praying and asking God "Why??", not just about the divorce but about many life-changing events that happened all at once (not just to me but to friends, family, acquaintances, etc.), God just kept answering me over and over "Be still and know that I am God. Be still and know that I am GOD." It didn't happen over-night by ANY means (more like years!) and I certainly have NOT "arrived", but by saying this to me over and over and over and by calming my spirit in His loving way, God has finally given me a peace that I don't NEED to know the "why" anymore - ALL that I need to know is that He loves me, He is in control, and HE WILL redeem all the ugliness that has happened, just as He has redeemed man's mistakes over and over, since the beginning of creation. He IS the Restorer, Repairer, Redeemer - THE Savior. He can do all things; He can fix all things. No matter what happens, no matter why, He will use it to His glory and He will make it beautiful - He WILL make "Beauty from the Ashes" (Isaiah 61:3). THIS is what I will choose to dwell on.
Believing in His ability to make all things good is, in my mind, part of that child-like faith that we are asked to have (Matt 18:2-4). We don't need a deep theological explanation for whatever happens - we just need to know God is God and He has a plan. Nothing can threaten His plan. No human, no demon - no one can alter the plans of God.
A few days ago, my oldest broke one of his favorite toys. Of course, he cried for about 5 minutes over the toy. Then, he came to me with the toy in his hand and gave it to me and said with complete confidence - "Here Mama, please fix this" and then walked away. We have had lots of broken toys and lots of super glue and tape usage at our house - I can say that I really have been able to fix 95% of the toys broken here, so this was not an unusual request. What was neat to me about this is that my child did not say "Can you fix this?" He just stopped crying, handed it to me, said "Fix this", and left it in my hands and walked away, confident in me to take care of it, which of course I did. My child trusts me. He knows he is important to me. He knows I love him. He knows I will take care of him and his toy, as I always have in the past.
If I, in all my selfishness and "busyness", have this overwhelming love for my child and this feeling like my heart is going to burst when he shows trust in me like this over a silly toy, how much more does our Perfect Father in heaven feel this way about us and those things that break our hearts? How many times has He fixed what is broken in our lives, in the lives around us, and yet how many times do we not trust Him enough to take ALL of our broken things to Him? He isn't only able to fix the 95%, He can fix it ALL and He WILL work ALL things together for the good of those who love Him!!(Rom 8:28)
I want to challenge you to stop worrying about the "Why?" I can promise you that if you continue to dwell on the why, why, why - it will start to drive you crazy - I know because I have BEEN THERE!
Instead, dwell on those things that bring peace to your questioning mind - Dwell on God's Love, His Trustworthiness, His Sovereignty, His Goodness, His Justice, His Divinity, His Redemption, His Power, His Might, His Victory - these are the things which are true, noble, and right (Phil 4:8). These are the things that will bring you peace and rest.
Isaiah 30:15 "This is what the Sovereign LORD, the Holy One of Israel, says: In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength...."

Father, today, tonight - I want to give up having to know "Why" this is happening - I want to give it all back to you, lay it at your feet, lay it on your altar and let go of it. Lord, I will trust in you. I will trust that there is a plan to redeem all of this chaos, hurt, confusion, all of this mess. There is a plan to turn it all into something beautiful, to bring glory to your name. I will believe this Lord and I will walk in it, with my head high, trusting in You. I receive your amazing love for me, Lord. I am your precious child and you WILL take care of me. I believe that you have good things for me and not evil, that there is hope and a future for me in Jesus's name. I trust you Lord and I will rest in You. Amen.

Who Do You Think You Are?

(Read Ephesians Chapter 1) Do you really know and GRASP the fact that God has loved you since before the creation of the world and that He chose YOU before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight? Do you grab on to the Truth that if you believe, through the blood of His Son, you are holy and blameless in His sight, no matter how you "feel"?
Do you live in light of the fact that in His great LOVE for YOU, He predestined YOU to be adopted as His child through Jesus Christ – not because He “had to” – He did not do this reluctantly. No – He did this “in accordance with His PLEASURE and WILL" (see Eph 1). He has freely given you this love and total grace, total newness, total once and for all forgiveness and blamelessness through His Son. Through His Son, you have total redemption - you are covered by the blood of the Lamb – COVERED.
“I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you might know the HOPE to which He has called you.” This love, this grace, this hope – it has nothing to do with you and what you are doing “right” or “wrong” – it has everything to do with His Son, who has died once and for all for you, thus raising you up to a new position in God’s eyes. The old has gone, the new has come! As Jesus said on the cross, "It is FINISHED".
1 John 4:16-18 says “And so we know and rely on the love God has for us (whether we “feel” it or not, we KNOW it because God has promised it through His Son). God is love…There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.” If there is chaos and uncertainty in your life, DO NOT jump to the false presumption that God is “punishing” you! This fear of punishment has nothing to do with God’s love! If you fear Him more than you know his great love for you, then ask Him to reveal His LOVE for you – that He sees you as wonderful, beautiful, His perfect child!
Hebrews 11:6 says of our relationship with the Father: "...anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him." Do YOU believe that Your Father has rewards for you, GOOD things for you and not bad? Take this to Him in prayer if you have not grasped this yet - He WANTS you to know this Love He has for you!!!
Romans 8:14 says of you who are in Christ “… those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship, adopted by God! And by Him we cry ‘Abba, Father, Daddy!’ The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that WE ARE God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs – heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ(!!!)”
Romans 8:31 “...If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all – how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus – who died – more than that, who was raised to life – is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the LOVE of Christ??...we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither life nor death, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Do you KNOW and acknowledge that nothing can separate you from God’s love for you? – Do you truly know this, grasp this? Do you live in the power of this? Do you know and grasp that God does not withhold his love from you and that He loves you no matter what, once and for all?? Knowing His love gives freedom, knowing His love IS FREEDOM! (2 Cor 3:17, Gal 4:31, Gal 5:1, Jn 8:36) If you do not have this freedom, offer this up as a prayer to Him – ask Him to help you know it, understand it, GRASP it - He so wants you to take hold of this freedom - it is exactly what He sent His ONLY SON for - Do not let this be lost to you!!!!
Romans 5:1 “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we HAVE PEACE with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand…hope does not disappoint us because God has POURED out His LOVE into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us.”
Ephesians 3:16 “...And I pray that you, being rooted and established in LOVE, may have power…to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the LOVE of Christ, and to KNOW THIS LOVE that surpasses knowledge – that you may be FILLED to the measure of all the fullness of God.”
Don't let it be lost on you that the verse above says that the writer prays that you may "grasp" God's love for you – the writer is saying it is not enough that you just “know” yeah, God loves me, but that you would GRASP it in your spirit and not let go! To grasp = to seize with urgency – to grab hold of God’s love for you and know that without God’s love you are nothing and BECAUSE of God’s love you have EVERYTHING! (see Ephesians 1:3) To GRASP this love means that you understand that God's love is not like man's love. It does not ebb and flow - it does not shift and change. It is constant. There is nothing you can do to add to or take away from His love for you - you, in your human frailty, are not more powerful than the blood that has already been shed for you! Nothing you can do can take away from the power of the blood!!
When we feel guilt and feel like we “don’t measure up” – this is NOT what Christ died His horrible death for – The blood of Jesus has atoned for ALL of this – It has atoned for our guilty consciences as well –(see Hebrews 9:14 and 10:22). We are not to be walking in guilt, or shame or “failure” – this is NOT from the Lord and NOT in accordance with the blood of Jesus, which has cleansed it ALL, ONCE FOR ALL!
Hebrews 9:24 “For Christ did not enter a man-made sanctuary that was only a copy of the true one; he entered heaven itself, now to appear FOR US in God’s presence. Nor did He enter heaven to offer himself again and again, the way the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood that is not his own. Then Christ would have to suffer many times since the creation of the world. But now He has appeared ONCE FOR ALL at the end of the ages to do AWAY with sin by the sacrifice of Himself.”
Heb 10:12 – “This priest (Jesus) offered FOR ALL TIME ONE SACRIFICE…and by this one sacrifice HE HAS MADE YOU PERFECT FOREVER”
Galatians 2:20-21 “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, BUT CHRIST LIVES IN ME. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who LOVED me and GAVE himself FOR me. I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law (through what I “do” or “don’t do”), Christ died for nothing!"
Lord, I KNOW that you did not send your Son to die "for nothing" - There is a freedom, a deep, abiding Love that I have not fully grasped yet. Lord, I don't want to live a life of not grasping all that is there for me, held in your open, outstretched arms for me to grab hold of. Lord, I know that you long for me to grasp your love for me - please teach me, reveal to me your amazing love for me, let me have ears that hear and eyes that see that I can grasp how deep and how high and how wide is your love for me. Let me not be satisfied with a mediocre, lukewarm relationship with you but fill me with a longing to know you more and a passion to know your incredible love for me. I love you Lord. I am your child, your precious, beloved daughter, and you are my Father. I will trust in You, I will earnestly seek You, and I will rest in You. Amen.

Bearing Fruit in the Desert

The Lord gave me some Scripture last night that I wanted to share not only because I need it myself, but also because I know, from talking with other single moms, that there is something we commonly struggle with. We are called by God to help each other get through difficult times and to be there, to extend our hand, to those who are suffering. When you are a single mom and it is all you can do to make it through each day, this calling is especially diffult as we constantly battle that feeling of "I can't help anybody else because I need help!"
In the past, I argued with God about this quite a bit. When I first started meeting other women who needed encouragement, who needed to know how to make it through their divorce to "the other side", I knew that God was calling me to minister, but I wanted to argue with Him that there was no way I could do this. One time I was praying about it and just told God that I was sorry but He just couldn't use me right now because I was all used up and had nothing to give to anybody. I also told Him that I couldn't help anybody until He answered all my questions and made things "right". I was like "How can I tell others that you are faithful, God, when FP is still getting away with threatening me and making my life miserable? How can I tell people you are good when I don't FEEL like you are good and I'm not sure you'll answer my prayers and take care of me? How can I tell others that things will "all work for good" when I don't "see" that goodness yet in my own life???"
It was soon after this that God took me straight to Jeremiah 17:7 where His Word says "But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit." and also to Isaiah 58:10 "... if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday. The LORD will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail."
To me, it was like God was saying "YOU think you are dried up and useless and in the middle of a "sun-scorched land" and YOU have not yet learned to trust Me fully and see what I am doing in your life right now, but I will and CAN still use you in this desert because, like 2 Cor 12:9 says "The Lord said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me."
God also reminded me that Hebrews 11:1 tells me that I CANNOT go by what I "see", as "faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." And, in 2 Cor 5:7 I am told that "We live by faith, not by sight".
I cannot operate and lead my life based on what I SEE, but only based on the promises of God in His Word, promises that He will keep with me, His child of the new covenant.
In order to help others, we don't have to have everything in line or figured out. In fact, I think that when we are just REAL with people and just tell them our struggles, our weaknesses, and how God is bringing us through them that very moment, even when we are still having trouble trusting Him and seeing His plan, that this is more helpful to anyone than all the "good advice" in the world. If you remember that parable about the 2 houses in the storm (Matthew 7)- one on the rock that stands through the storm and the other on the sand that falls apart in the storm - all you have to do is stand in the storm - on top of that rock - and when other people who are struggling can just see that you are still standing, they just want to know HOW you are still standing because all they want to do is lie down and quit, like I want to sometimes, like you want to sometimes. But you just tell them how you keep going (your prayers you pray, the books that have helped you, advice that friends have given you that helped, any tips that helped you out) and it gives them a lifeline to grab onto. You don't have to "have it all together" or see the big "plan" to help someone - Sometimes what helped me the most at the beginning was just hearing that other women had dealt with the same "horrible" thoughts that I thought only I had was having and the same circumstances I thought only I was facing, and yet they were still standing, able to finally have joy again after allowing themselves time to heal.
There were women who told me about contemplating suicide, thought about killing their ex-spouse, wanted to just give up, felt mad at God, thought everybody in town was talking about them when they walked out of a room, didn't want to leave their house for days, couldn't sleep in their own bed alone for months because being in the bed was too painful, struggled with their faith and questioned God, thought they were being "punished" by God for something, had an ex telling them everything was their fault and that they weren't really a Christian if they didn't just 'forgive and forget', etc., etc. - all those things that Satan wantsGod's children to think guiltily that they are alone in and that no one else feels. When you hear other women being REAL about these things and just willing to put themselves out there, just knowing you are not alone helps more than anything. And knowing that there is someone else besides you who doesn't "have it all together" helps - The only thing you have to do to help others who are hurting is to point them to God - just encouraging them to hang in there, to keep praying, keep reading, to trust Him - He is the only one who can help those who are hurting and the only one who will pull them through this. Sometimes we ALL need to be reminded of this and, when we become "disoriented" with all the mess flying around our heads day to day, we need our sisters in Christ to just keep pointing us in that direction, toward Him. If the only thing you do is to point that other person who is hurting toward the Lord, then you can not go wrong! As Luke 8:16 says, "No one lights a lamp and hides it in a jar or puts it under a bed. Instead, he puts it on a stand, so that those who come in can see the light." Start to recognize those lights in the darkness that God gives to you - the encouraging E-mail from a friend, the verse that lifted your heart today, the insight you finally understood - and then share these "lights" with others who need them.
In 2 Corinthians 4 - I love this chapter because I think it really shows us how to minister to others through just pointing them to Christ and His light in the dark. I also love that it says straight out that we are "jars of clay" - breakable, not perfect, not immortal, that we ARE weak - and yet this is actually WHY God chooses us!! - He uses us most in our weakness so that we can't take any of the glory, but all the glory goes to Him. I heard a speaker one time who did this great visual with a broken jar where she turned all the lights off and puts a candle in this closed up jar and then in a cracked jar and she says - which one gives off more light? Of course it's the cracked one because you can see the light through the cracks. She uses this to illustrate how all those weaknesses, all of those "imperfections" that we obsess about and think can never be used by God, are exactly what He is MOST able to use, because "His power is made perfect in weakness" (2 Cor 12:9).
2 Cor 4:
"Therefore, since through God's mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart. Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God. And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake. For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness,"made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed , but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body. So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you. It is written: "I believed; therefore I have spoken."With that same spirit of faith we also believe and therefore speak, because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you in his presence. All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God. Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outw eighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."

Spiritual Prozac

(Note: The hi-lited passages provide links to Scriptures referenced)

A few months ago I was talking with a good friend who was in the middle of aftermath from a horrible divorce. She had just also just recently returned from a vacation where she had flown in from Europe. She described looking out the airplane window at the land below and how powerful she felt for those hours she spent up above everything, looking down at microscopic houses, massive lakes that looked like little rain puddles, mighty rivers that looked like mere cracks in the earth, and tiny patches of earth that represented acres and acres of land. She described the plane then descending and how, as the objects outside of her window grew larger and larger, she felt the weight and "reality" of her situation returning. She wished that she could just stay on the plane forever, floating above the world and not having to return to "her life here".

In Isaiah 40:30-31, God tells us that "Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."

If we could grab hold of this Spiritual promise and "soar on wings like eagles", then perhaps we could rise, even if just for a little moment, above our own little world and however briefly see what it all might look like from God's eyes as He looks down on us from above, keeping watch over everything (Psalm 33:13-14).
So, how can we "soar on wings like eagles", rising so high up above our circumstances so that our problems will seem so small, so unworthy of our concern, fear and anxiety? The verse tells us that we can accomplish this by being "those who hope in the Lord."
So, how do we hope in the Lord, when hope is the furthest word away from our current vocabulary? For starters, Psalm 130:5 says "I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in His word I put my hope." (For one thing, you need to BE IN the Word, reading what He says so that you know the promises you have to hope for!)
Psalm 33:18 says "...The eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in His unfailing love." Psalm 146:5-6 says "Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God, the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them—the LORD, who remains faithful forever." We hope in the Lord because we know the promises that are ours in His Word, we know that His love for us never fails and never changes, and we know that He remains faithful forever. He is the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, and He is MY God and He is YOUR God. He is the creator of the heavens and the earth, of every living creature and everything I see, He IS GOD, the Alpha and the Omega. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8). Whether we "feel" hope or not, His hope is there, never changing. And if we will speak His Word, speak His promises, and receive them as our own through Christ whether we "feel" them or not, then eventually we will grab hold of hope because no matter what we "feel", we will know in our hearts and confess with our mouths that His Word is Truth and will accomplish everything He sent it forth to accomplish (Isaiah 55:11).

Colossians 3:1-3 tells us "Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God."

When our children are young and they come to us crying because another child has called them a name or said something untrue to them, do we fall apart sobbing along with our child and agree with them that there is no hope and that they are doomed forever because of the unfortunate choices of the other child? No, we comfort them, we pray with them, and we assure them that life is bigger than being called "doodoo head" on the playground. We are older, wiser, and experienced enough to look down on our child's circumstances and see how small they really are. We have a "birds-eye view" of their tiny little realm of importance. How much moreso does the Lord long to comfort us and show us HIS view of our circumstances, to reassure us that He is in control, that life appears to us much bigger than it truly is in His master plan, and that ALL things will work together for good? (Romans 8:28) If we can take our eyes off of what we see before us for only a moment and set our hearts and minds above, as His Word tells us to, we will begin to understand our hope in Him and His faithfulness.

From Psalm 121: "I lift UP my eyes to the hills—where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth"

Lord, take my thoughts captive to you in Jesus's name and help me to see my circumstances as you see them. Help me Lord to be raised up on eagle's wings, high above all of this mess and confusion so that I can look down and know in my heart that you are bigger and stronger than all of this mess. Lord, I admit that I don't feel so confident right now and my problems seem so huge and overwhelming and, according to this world, they ARE "huge" and "overwhelming". Help me, Lord to remember, though, that YOU are not of this world and because of your Son, I am not of this world either. Teach me Lord about hope and faith and victory. I will no longer look at what is in front of me but instead I will lift up my eyes to look to you. I will set my heart above and I will set my mind above on YOU and not on this world. Help me accomplish this Lord for I know that through Christ in me ALL things are possible. In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Morning by Morning

(Note: The hi-lited passages provide links to Scriptures referenced)

I grew up in a Christian home with two dedicated Christian parents and four wonderful, Christian grandparents. One of the many things I’m thankful for in my upbringing is the fact that I grew up hearing so many awesome hymns that continue to play in my head each day.
In Ephesians 5:19-20, Paul writes: "Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Sometimes, when I cannot think of any prayers to pray, Scriptures to meditate on, etc., God will mercifully play one of these beautiful hymns from my childhood in my head and I can remember His faithfulness and His Truth and I can sing these songs to Him and to myself.
One of the hymns that God has given to me over and over and over again since the beginning of my divorce is "Great Is Thy Faithfulness." The chorus to this beautiful hymn says of the Lord:
"Great is Thy faithfulness! Great is Thy faithfulness!... Morning by morning new mercies I see;...All I have needed Thy hand hath provided...Great is Thy Faithfulness, Lord unto me."

Lamentations 3:19-26 (amplified) says:
"[O Lord] remember [earnestly] my affliction and my misery...
But this I recall and therefore have I hope and expectation:
It is because of the Lord's mercy and loving-kindness that we are not consumed, because His [tender] compassions fail not.
They are new every morning; great and abundant is Your stability and faithfulness.
The Lord is my portion or share, says my living being (my inner self); therefore will I hope in Him and wait expectantly for Him."

Whenever we feel crushed, anxious, depressed, drained...we can look to Him and remember His mercies which are new every day. You can "think about such things...and the God of peace will be with you" (Phil 4:7-9).

Pray that God will help you think of everything He has done in your life that shows you His love for you and His mercy for you and for your situation. Although I could find so many things to be bitter and angry about if I want to go in that direction, I can also find so many more things to be thankful and in awe of if I choose to go in this other, life-giving direction. Start a list for yourself and add to it frequently. On one of your "hard days", you can go back through your list, saying out loud all that you are thankful for.
No matter how horrible your circumstances seem, or are, there is SOMETHING to be thankful for. When you start naming these things and develop a thankful spirit in yourself, you will begin to notice more and more mercies everywhere and you will start to see that YOU ARE BLESSED, and not crushed (2 Corinthians 4). Take a moment, 1-2 seconds, each time you notice one of these mercies to thank your Father who gave them to you.
It can be as simple as when you are driving and the person in front of you slams on their brakes and you miss rear-ending them by 2 inches, just saying "Thank you God that I did not have a wreck!" or when you are at the store, buying your groceries and waiting to pay, saying in your head "Thank you God for providing the money for these groceries." When you get up in the morning and get out of bed, you can say "Thank you God for giving me another day to accomplish all that you have for me." You can find mercies everywhere!
If you are reading this blog, then you must have a computer, whether your own or at a friend's house or at the library, to read it on. There is a "mercy" right there.
If the Scriptures on this blog speak to you and feed you, then this is a "mercy" as those people who don't have the Spirit cannot understand His Words or His love like you can.
If you have a roof over your head, healthy children, loving family, food to eat tonight, the ability to earn income, a church home, a car to drive, clean clothes to wear each day, friends to encourage you - if you have ANY of these things, these are ALL "mercies"!
If you were in a home of darkness, violence, abuse, addiction, oppression, etc., and now you have been delivered to re-establish your own Spirit-filled home - this, however hard it is right now - IS a "mercy".
There are moments from your childhood, your educational background, your Spiritual background, whether good or bad, "teachable" moments that God has used and will use in you to prepare you for what you will face as a single mother - these are all signs of His "mercies" as well. You can thank Him that you know Him and His love for you, and that, as the Lord of resurrection, He can turn all things into good and bring life from death, for His glory.
1 Thess 5:16-18 (amplified) says:
Be happy [in your faith] and rejoice and be glad-hearted continually (always); Be unceasing in prayer [praying perseveringly]; Thank [God] in everything [no matter what the circumstances may be, be thankful and give thanks], for this is the will of God for you [who are] in Christ Jesus [the Revealer and Mediator of that will]."
One way that we can be "unceasing in prayer" is by doing what was mentioned above- continually giving Him thanks for ALL of His mercies He gives to you as His gifts to you each day: "Thank you God for my home; Thank you God for the woman who just helped me at the store; Thank you God for the lunch you provided today; Thank you God for that parking space at the front door of Wal-Mart; Thank you God for your healing of my children's colds, flu, etc.; Thank you God for the Scripture I just heard on the radio; Thank you God for my friend who just prayed for me..."
These may seem overly simplistic, but the more you begin to pray over the simple things, God will begin to show you the bigger and bigger picture and you will be in absolute awe of everything that you have to be thankful for.
If these prayers seem overly simplistic, think on these verses:
“This is the day that the Lord has made; Let us rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalm 118:24). David doesn't tell us to rejoice in this day because it is "the best day ever" or because "I got everything I ever wanted today" or because "all my prayers were answered today." No, he says rejoice in this day simply because it is the day that the Lord has made.
Psalm 107:8 , says: "...Give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men." This one phrase is repeated four times in this psalm. He doesn't say to give thanks if the Lord does what you want Him to do, but simply because His unfailing love is a Spiritual fact, an unchanging Truth. Also, your thankfulness is not based on His wonderful deeds for you alone, but His deeds for all of mankind (the beautiful world He has given us, the knowledge He has given man, the mercy He shows each of us by giving life each day, etc.)
1 Chronicles 16:34 (amplified): "O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever!"
Psalm 100:3-5 :
"Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his ;
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.
For the LORD is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations."

Phil 4:4-7 (amplified) :
Rejoice in the Lord always [delight, gladden yourselves in Him]; again I say, Rejoice!....
Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything, but in every circumstance and in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, continue to make your wants known to God.
And God's peace [shall be yours, that tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and being content with its earthly lot of whatever sort that is, that peace] which transcends all understanding shall garrison and mount guard over your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus."

Lord, forgive me that I have focused on a human-centered view of my circumstances and not on You and Your love and mercy, which is renewed each day. Lord, I trust in You that You LOVE me and I am precious to You. I trust You that you long to give me good gifts (Matt 7:11). Lord, open my eyes to see the many gifts you have given me, signs of your faithfulness and your love. Lord, please awaken me each morning reminding me of your faithfulness and love. Thank you Lord for all of your gifts and mercies. Please transform my heart into a heart of thankfulness and praise, seeing your love everywhere I go and giving thanks for it. I love you Lord. Amen.

Finding Time For Truth

(Note: The hi-lited passages provide links to the Scripture or sites referenced)

I've said before and I will say it again, because I have to discover it the hard way every time - almost every MONTH - the ONLY way to "survive" daily life - whatever you are facing- is to STAY IN THE WORD. All day long we hear lies about who we "are" and are not and what we can and cannot do. The only way to know the lies from the Truth is to stay in the Word and let it be in our minds at all times. This is the only way to take those false thoughts captive and make them obedient to Christ (2 Cor 10:5). Otherwise, we are overcome by the world and we become "slaves to fear."
In Romans 8:14-16, we are told that "...those who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father." The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children."
Satan tells you that you are not good enough, not strong enough, not victorious, not beloved. But this is NOT what God says and you NEED to know EXACTLY what He says about you in his new covenant with you through Christ so that you can stand firm!
The biggest problem we face in learning the Truth from the Word is, at least for me, finding TIME for the word. I can barely find time to wash my own face before I crash in my bed at night much less stay in the Word! Even before I was a single mom, I could hardly find time to spend in God's Word. Now, of course, finding that time is even more difficult than ever. But Romans 10:17 tells us "...faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ." We need to HEAR the message, over and over and over, through His Word so that our faith might be increased daily. Then, when those "flaming arrows" from the enemy come at us, we can confidently and boldly hold up our "shield of faith" (Eph 6:16) - our faith which has come by "hearing the message through the word of Christ".
So how do we find the time? I don't have a perfect answer and still struggle with this daily but I can only share some "strategies", if you want to call them that, for what has worked for me in the past:
First of all, every time you get into your car you can either spend that time praying out loud with your children or listening to Christian music together. You don't have time or excess energy to fill your head with any of the other junk on the radio, so you have to be discerning about what you listen to and what you "allow in". Some good CDs that we listen to are the "Word of God Speak" CDs - these are all songs that are straight Scripture, put to music. There are also tons of good Scripture CDS specifically for children but adult-friendly too!
When by yourself in the car, just make a "rule" with yourself to keep your radio set on a Christian station and either listen to Christian music or to Christian speakers - you can find Beth Moore, Joyce Meyer, Alistair Begg, Kay Arthur, Joel Osteen, James Dobson, and many other anointed speakers to listen to on Christian radio. Whenever I listen to these stations, even if only for 10 minutes of the sermon, the Lord always uses what I hear from these speakers to bless my day.
One of the BEST things I ever did was invest in a set of CDs called "The Word Becomes Flesh" by "Mercy Ministries" - These are a collection CDs of women reading the New Testament out loud and it is set with music and commentary. I like to play these on my stereo when I am at home and cleaning the house, washing dishes, folding laundry, etc. I also, if I am in a rough patch, will play it at night next to my bed on a portable CD player while I am just lying in bed with all the lights out - sometimes you feel like you don't have the energy to even pick up your Bible and try to read it with your tired eyes but can you honestly say you don't have the energy to LIE in your BED and LISTEN to the Bible without lifting a finger?? Give it a try!
There are times, too, when all I want to do after having a full day at work and finally getting the kids to bed, is just to sit on the sofa and watch TV. Here again you have a choice of what to fill your mind with. Now I know that TBN and the "Inspiration" network get a bad rap but there are actually some REALLY good speakers who come on now- I've gotten in the habit of watching Joyce Meyer's "Enjoying Everyday Life" Program which comes on at night and also Michael Youssef''s "Leading the Way" program. These are both awesome. You can either spend that time watching whatever mindless, truth-less program you shut your brain off to that will leave you feeling just as empty as you felt before you turned the TV on OR you can watch a program that will FILL you back up - give you Truth, life and light.
You can order sermons on tape from your favorite speakers to play in your home and in your car. You can download Christian music and "podcasts" to your ipod to listen to on the go or while on a walk - You can watch your favorite speakers on "youtube" or on their websites instead of looking at all the other "junk food" on the internet - there really is no excuse - you CAN find time for the Word and, really, you HAVE TO if you want to keep your head above the water. I encourage you, if you think you "don't have time" for the Word, to really take this before God, ask Him to show you when and where you DO have time and what are some ways you can "think outside of the box" to get the Word in your day.

Lord, I am spent and drained and the ONLY way I can be renewed, refilled, and restored is by the living water of your Word. I want to be like the "well-watered garden...like a spring whose waters never fail" "strengthened...in a sun-scorched land" (Isaiah 58:11) - and the only way to do this is by staying in Your Word - Lord, your Word is Spirit and it is Life (John 6:63). Lord, I pray that you would give me an insatiable hunger for your Word. Lord, please show me where, during my day, I can spend time listening to Your Word and please give me new, creative ideas for how to do this. Lord, please guide me to CDs, DVDs, Christian radio, wherever I can find more of You and your Truth. Remind me Lord to turn on my radio to life-giving stations, to turn the TV station to something fulfilling instead of junk. I ask you to pursue me Lord and call to me, reminding me to run back to you and to Your Word. May Your Word be the only lamp to lead me and guide me always (Ps 119:105). In Jesus' name, Amen!

I Think I'm Going Crazy....

(Note: Hi-lited passages provide links to the Scripture or sites referenced)

If you have been in a relationship with an addict or an abusive person and think that you are "going crazy" or "losing your mind" then please know that you are NOT alone!! I cannot count how many other women going through horrible divorces have confided to me "I really think I'm going crazy..." And when this happens, I know exactly what they mean. When we say this, we don't just mean it in a flip "Well, I lost my car keys; I must be losing my mind-haha!" sort of way. No, we really, really mean that we think we are going crazy. In Codependent No More, Beattie addresses this:"As codependents, many of us don't trust our minds. we truly understand the horror of indecision. The smallest choices...paralyze us. The larger significant decisions we face...can overwhelm us. Many of us simply give up and refuse to think about these things. Some of us allow other people or circumstances to make these choices for us...For a variety of reasons, we may have lost faith in our ability to think and reason things out."
In When Your Lover Is A Liar, Forward explains why so many people who have been entangled in destructive relationships with liars/abusers/manipulators feel this way:
"The lies leave us paralyzed. We find ourselves unable to make even the simplest decisions...because trust has disappeared, and we don't know [what is true any more; what is fact versus fiction]. We don't know what is real anymore, and we suffer terribly. A relationship with a liar can destroy our self-respect and our ability to trust our own perceptions and judgments...You have been living in parallel realities. There is the known world of the man [you trusted and thought you knew] and there's the world you've only glimpsed of a man who is working to keep his real life and intentions hidden [This is the "Jekyll and Hyde" parallel realities that so many of us have experienced]...We feel stupid, used, tricked, ashamed."

Both of these books go on to explain, in detail, why those of us who have been in these relationships tend to feel "crazy". If you are experiencing this, then I recommend you read one or both of these books. Also, of course, you MUST quit listening to those people who have manipulated you into feeling this way and instead look ONLY to what Your Father says about you and your mind. He is the One who created you - NO ONE knows your mind like He does!!

So here's the good news - If you feel like you are going crazy, you're not alone! Why is that good news? Because you need to know that you are NOT going crazy and neither are all the other women in your shoes who feel the same way- The truth of the matter is that you have been living in an unreal environment, a world created by the addict/abuser in your life which he created to keep you entangled in his web of control and deception. It's like stepping out of a drug-induced state and shaking off the bad side-effects. You are still shaking your head back and forth, trying to "wake up" after what you've been through. The other good news is that the more you distance yourself from this person and their lies and false, parallel reality, and the more you immerse yourself back into healthy relationships and into your relationship with God, you will begin to think clearly again and trust your own mind again.

2 Timothy 1:7 (amplified) says, "For God did not give us a spirit of timidity (of cowardice, of craven and cringing and fawning fear), but [He has given us a spirit] of power and of love and of calm and well-balanced mind and discipline and self-control."

Phil 4:8-9 says: "...Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things...And the God of peace will be with you."

These are both excellent verses to speak over your own mind, over yourself, when you feel the fear, anxiety, the "craziness" overcoming you - You have the Spirit of a "well-balanced mind", you have access to God's peace through meditating on what is "true, noble and right..." and, above all, your thoughts are NOT to be controlled by darkness for "we have the mind of Christ" (1 Cor 2:16). We also have been "raised with Christ to a new life" where we can "set our minds and keep them set on what is above (the higher things), not on the things that are on the earth" (Coloss 3:1-2).

Lord, I thank you that I no longer have to feel like I am "going crazy" but that you have delivered me out of that environment of darkness and into a new, better environment where I can begin to heal and be restored by you. Thank you Lord that the lies and manipulation and abuse are no longer a part of my home but now I live in a home of peace and light and love where I choose what is allowed to come in my front door and what is not allowed. Lord, I do not, I will not allow the accusations, the lies, the darkness in my home any more in Jesus' name! I take captive every thought that is not of you and I cast it down and make it obedient to Truth in Jesus' name (2 Cor 10:5). I have NOT been given a fearful, anxious mind from you Lord, but I have a sound, balanced mind in Christ Jesus. I choose this day to "take off the old self and [my former] practices" and to put on my "new self, which is being renewed [daily] in knowledge in the image of its Creator" (Coloss 3:9-10). I choose this day to take off the fear and anxiety and to instead come to you in prayer and with thanksgiving so that Your peace that passes all understanding will guard my heart and my mind in Christ Jesus (Phil 4:6-7). Amen!

Prayers For My Children

(Note: The hi-lited passages provide links to Scriptures referenced)

One of the hardest challenges for a mom facing divorce is having to watch her children go through the process with her. I remember thinking "I am a big girl and I can handle this, but Lord, they are so small; please protect my children!"
You can be confident knowing that your children, all children, have a special place in the Father's heart. We are all familiar with the often quoted passage where the disciples tried to shoo children away from Jesus and He rebuked them, saying "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of Heaven belongs to such as these" (Mark 10:14).
Jesus also said that for anyone who leads a child into sin, "it would be better for him to have a large millstone tied around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea" (Matt 18:5-6).
These words can be even more significant to us when we think about the time period in which they were spoken - during a time where children had very little value in people's eyes. They could not help out much in the fields or at home, they could not help earn bread like an adult or do heavy labor very well; they were not considered "precious" to most, but more of a hindrance and a nuisance.
But they were, and still are, precious to Our Father. Isaiah 40:11 says that Our Father "tends His flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to His heart; he gently leads those that have young." Who are "those that have young"? That is you, Mama! God will "gently lead you" because your child is His lamb, who He carries "close to His heart"! We, like Abraham with Isaac, can confidently place our children in God's arms, in His care, on His altar, knowing that no matter how bleak things look, God will honor our trust in Him and He will redeem any injustice done to our children. After God spared Isaac, it says that the Israelites said, and still say "On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided" (Gen 22:12-14). On this treacherous mountain you are climbing, the Lord will provide wisdom for you, as He did for Abraham, and protection for your children, as He did for Isaac.

Isaiah 54:13 says "All your sons will be taught by the LORD, and great will be your children's peace." I pray this verse often over my children, especially for their peace, and I remind them often that they have a human father here on earth but that they also have their amazing Heavenly Father, God, and that HE "will always go before them and be with them and HE will never leave them or forsake them" (Deut 31:8).

In Isaiah 43:4-6, God declares His love for us and tells us that He will "bring our children from the east" or, as the amplified version says "bring them...from where they are dispersed." Isaiah 60:4-5 says, "Lift up your eyes and look about you: All assemble and come to you; your sons come from afar, and your daughters are carried on the arm. Then you will look and be radiant, your heart will throb and swell with joy; the wealth on the seas will be brought to you, to you the riches of the nations will come." Wherever the divorce tosses our children, whatever roads they may take in response to what they go through or as a consequence of actions taken, God says He can and will "bring them back", and restore them to us. He can and will redeem any harm done to them and give to them, and to us "beauty for ashes," rebuilding what was torn down around us and them (Is 61:3-4).

Matthew 18:10 is another precious verse to me illustrating God's protection on my children. It says, "See that you do not look down on one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven." It is so amazing to me to know that each of my children has an angel in heaven assigned to them and that those angels have direct access to the Father, interceding for my children! Not only are they covered by my prayers for them and by God's love for them, but to top it all off, they have their very own angel!

I also pray Psalm 91:10-12 over my home and my children : "...no harm will befall us, no disaster will come near [our home]. For God will command His angels concerning us, to guard us in all our ways; they will lift us up in their hands, so that we will not even strike our foot against a stone."

1 Cor 7:14 says, "...the unbelieving husband has been sanctified through his wife... Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy." No matter what has gone on in your marriage and your home and no matter what your children were and are exposed to, through your faith and trust in the Lord, He blesses your children, establishes His covenant with them, and considers them "holy" in His sight.

Well, I am sure that there are 100s more awesome verses for our children out there - these are just a few that God has revealed to me and led me to pray over my own children. I hope to discover more and more each day as I spend time in His Word, the only true protection over my family. When I begin to learn more, I will be sure to pass those on as well - But no matter how many verses we know, God knows our hearts. He sees our love for our children and our concern for them. He knows that we want their physical, emotional, and spiritual protection and wholeness of mind. I encourage you to take your normal, natural anxiety for your children and place it on His altar in faith. Let Him reveal to YOU His love and mercy for these little ones.

Lord, thank you that my children have a special place in your heart and that they are precious to you, holy in your sight. I give my children to you, as they are not my own anyway, but are entrusted to me for this short time on earth. Lord, You are their True Father, their Abba, and I trust in your love for them. Lord, teach me how to pray for my children. Please show me verses to pray for them and teach me more about trusting them to you. Lord, I am not defeated by this divorce. My children are not defeated by this divorce. We can do all things through Christ, our strength. We are more than conquerors. We are victorious and protected through the blood of Christ. Help us to go forward and live walking each day in this victory. In Jesus' name.

Going In Circles?

(Note: The hi-lited passages provide links to Scriptures referenced)

Do you ever feel like you are just going in circles, passing by the same "landmark" over and over again, and feeling like what you are doing is just useless, going nowhere fast, getting nothing accomplished? Sometimes I get so frustrated with myself when I keep hearing the same Truth over and over and I think "Lord, I KNOW this is True, so why don't I finally 'get it' and move forward!"
One night I was reading to my kids about the battle of Jericho and the men who marched around and around and around the wall, over and over again, for days, because that is what God had commanded them to do (Joshua 6).
While reading this, in my head I was thinking: How silly is it that the Israelites had to walk around the wall of Jericho EVERY day for 6 days, one time each day. And how silly is it that on the seventh day they walked seven times then had to blow their horns and THEN the walls fell down? It just seems ridiculous, honestly, when you first hear the story. What were they thinking while all of that was going on? Were they thinking “this is stupid” “why are we doing this” or “this is crazy”?
I don’t think so. I think they were trusting in the Lord. They had disobeyed him in the wilderness, they knew the consequences of Moses’ disobedience when striking the rock for water, they knew the consequences of not trusting the Lord to give them the Promised Land the first time they came to it. I believe that these men KNEW that the Lord Jehovah could have crashed the walls of Jericho on day one all by Himself if he wanted to. All God had to do was say the word and those walls could fall in the blink of an eye.

So why didn’t He? Because FAITH in God and FAITHFULNESS to God are required of His people (1 Cor 4:1-2, Hebrews 11:6) . He could have given His people the city right away, with nothing doing on their part; but He chose to not do it that way. He tested their faith and their trust in Him and, after their faithfulness was shown, the city was delivered to them.
In thinking about all of this, I also thought of Jesus instructing the disciples in the boat where to throw their nets (John 21:3-7). The disciples had been fishing all night but had caught nothing. Jesus appeared before them and said “cast your net on the right side of the boat” and when they did it exactly as He said, their nets were filled with fish! Did Jesus really need them to cast their nets in that one particular spot? He is Jesus! Couldn’t He, being the son of God, have filled their nets no matter where they were? Couldn’t he have just said the word and had the fish jump straight in the boat if He wanted to? He could have done any of this, but, again, He chose to INVOLVE His people in His miracle just as God the father involved the Israelites in Jericho. As with Jericho, Jesus wanted to REWARD their faith and their faithfulness. He gave them a chance to trust and obey and then He rewarded their response.

God can do anything with a word, just as He spoke the entire Universe into place with His Word (Hebrews 11:3), but He chooses to involve us in what He is doing and He chooses to exercise our faith and our faithfulness– not to exasperate us or make us “work”, but to equip us, to train us, to strengthen us, and to lovingly and patiently involve us in what He is doing. If God had broken the walls of Jericho Himself, he could have done it in one day, one second even. But He involved His people and so it took seven long days.
God wants to involve us not just to strengthen us and train us up but also simply because He delights in us (Psalm 149:4). Look at Genesis 2:19 "Now the LORD God had formed out of the ground all the beasts of the field and all the birds of the air. He brought them to the man (Adam) to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name." Did God need Adam to name the animals for Him? No, but He brought the animals to Adam "to see what he would name them" - our God wants to be involved with us, delights in being involved with us. This is just like those times I choose (when I have time!) to involve my children in washing dishes with me, or putting away laundry, or making dinner. I don’t need their help at all. In fact, I can get my work accomplished much faster without them being invovled. But my children delight in helping me. They feel important standing next to me at the sink or the washing machine. They puff out their little chests and know they are "mama's helper". And, when I let go of my uptight desire to just “get it done” and done "my way", I enjoy having them next to me. How much moreso is this true with our Perfect Father? God enjoys having us next to him. He enjoys involving us in His miracles. He can do it himself, but He wants to teach us, to lovingly guide us alongside Him.
So, the next time I am marching around and around and around feeling "useless" or even "silly," I will try to remember all of this. And, while I'm marching, I will also remember that there is a "seventh day" coming for ME and, when I shout, ALL the walls will come tumbling down!

Lord, thank you that You delight in me and You WANT a relationship with me; you WANT to involve me in Your works, in Your plan. Lord, help me to not grow weary while doing what is good and help me remember that in YOUR timing I WILL reap a harvest (Gal 6:9). I love You, Lord and I TRUST YOU that I am NOT just "marching in circles" but that You WILL bring to completion the good work You began in me (Phil 1:6) and that I WILL have VICTORY through Jesus! (Ps 118:15, Prov 2:7, 1 Cor 15:57 1 John 5:4-5. In Jesus' name, Amen!

I Think I'm The Only One...

(Note: the hi-lited passages provide links to the Scriptures referenced)

One way that Satan can deceive us when we are weak is to "lure us away" from others by making us think that we are the "only one" who has the troubles or thoughts that we have.
The bible describes Satan as a "prowling lion", seeking who he will "devour" (1 Peter 5:7-9). With this image of Satan in mind, I picture him in one of those "Discovery Channel" scenes where you see the little gazelles down at the watering hole and the lion is prowling about, looking for that one little gazelle off by itself, isolated from the rest of the herd - and then he makes his attack - He can so easily stalk us and attack when he is able to lure us off by ourselves, making us think we are "the only one who....."
One single mom writes (and I have permission to re-write this):
"One night I was sitting on my porch, feeling absolutely isolated and thinking 'no one understands', 'no one has dealt with someone like him before' and I started thinking it just wasn't worth it anymore - I had a very vivid picture of just giving up and how exactly I would finally just end it all for myself and my kids and it would all be over and then we could just be in heaven once and for all and not have to deal with him any more. My thoughts became darker and darker and I even started to come up with a very detailed plan for "how I would do it".
Suddenly, the Spirit rose up in me, offended, and said "NO. STOP. These thoughts are NOT from Me -I put to death and I bring to life, I have wounded and I will heal, and no one can deliver out of my hand (Deut 32:39). I know the number of your days (Job 14:5, Psalm 39:4) and this is to be determined by ME, not by you or by the enemy!" God began to speak to me and helped me realize that my thoughts are either of Him or of darkness and that these thoughts of death were NOT from my Creator, who had already numbered my days and who was in control of each day, but that these thoughts were of Satan. Then, once I recognized the source of my thoughts, God said "Why do you think your enemy wants to kill you? It is because he knows that you are a threat to him. He knows that I have plans for you - to redeem you, to deliver you, to use your weakness to bring glory to my name (2 Cor 12:9). He is afraid of you; he wants you dead because he knows I have AWESOME plans for you and for your children!" God also showed me that to think of "death" was pointless, because as a believer, I was already "dead" to all of my past mistakes, past sin, dead to all my "problems" in the flesh here on earth - I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me! (Gal 2:20).
Somehow, by God's grace, just knowing this empowered me and gave me new strength and a new resolution. I rebuked those thoughts from Satan, and spoke out loud that these thoughts were NOT from My Father who loves me but that He, My Father, wanted me to LIVE and to accomplish His purpose for me (Psalm 138:7-8)!"
From talking to lots of single moms, I know that thoughts of just "putting an end to it" are far too common. If Satan has tried to fool YOU with thinking that would be the best way to just end the pain you are in right now, then just know that you are NOT the only one - do NOT let him "lure you away" - Satan knows the gifts, the blessings, the glory that Your Father has in store for you - and he will do everything he can to keep you from those blessings. Now that you know that this is an old trick, a "one-liner" he uses on everyone, be on your guard against him and stand firm against his lies - Let nothing get between you and the gifts that Your Father has in store for you!

Lord, you say that Your sheep will know the voice of their Shepherd, that they shall never perish and that no one can snatch them from Your hand (John 10:27-28). Lord, help ME to know Your voice. Help me, in my darkest times, in the valley of the shadow of death, to know that you are with me, to comfort me and to lead me and to know that you will NEVER leave me or forsake me (Psalm 23, Deut 31:6). Help me Lord to guard my heart against the enemy and his lies and to know that You have BLESSINGS in store for me, LIFE and NOT death (Prov 4:23, Phil 4:7, Isaiah 30:18, Rev 2:9-11, Rev 22:17) ! In Jesus Name, Amen!