I Know That You Are For Me....

So faithful. So constant.
So loving and so true.
So powerful in all You do.

You fill me. You see me.
You know my every move
and You love for me to sing to You.

I know that You are for me.
I know that You are for me.
I know that You will never,
forsake me in my weaknesses

I know that You have come now,
even if to write upon my heart.
To remind me who You are.

So patient, So gracious,
So merciful and true…
So wonderful in all You do.
You know me. You see me.
You know my every move.
You love for me to sing to You

Lord, I know that You are for me.
I know that You are for me.
I know that You will never,
forsake me in my weaknesses.
I know that You have come now,
even if to write upon my heart.

To remind me that
I know that You are for me.
I know that You are for me.
I know that You will never,
forsake me in my weaknesses.
I know that You have come now,
even if to write upon my heart.
To remind me who You are. 

The words to Kari Jobe's song, I Know That You Are for Me, really touched me.  You know those times where you are trying so hard to convince yourself that God is on your side.  Sometimes when things hurt, or when they aren't going the way you feel is a good way the Devil jumps right in knowing that there's a possibility he can convince us that God wasn't watching, or is hurting us for no reason.  I have those times a lot.  Usually I don't blame it on God, but there ARE times when I say "God, I prayed that you would help me in this area, and look at what happened!  Why aren't you helping me?  I can't overcome this one on my own."  When I heard the words to this song I literally cried because they are the voice of my heart in those times that I don't understand.  Saying to myself over and over, "I KNOW that you are for me.  I KNOW that you will never forsake me where i'm weak."  and the words to Josh Bates's song "though I'm weak you are strong. You tell me I still belong.  You never give up on me." 

It takes a lot of courage sometimes to keep on keeping on.  But because i'm in love with Jesus, and because when we love someone we desire so strongly to bless them and make them our primary focus, I have the motivation to take up my cross once again and follow after him.  He's good to me.  So patient and gentle with my shortcomings, and the amazing thing is that he loves me more than I could ever love him.  I'm quite simply blessed.  Overwhelmingly blessed.

“Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice
at the end of the day saying, 'I will try again tomorrow.'"Mary Anne Radmacher

The Touch of the Master's Hands

<sup>Isaiah 29:15-16

15</sup> Woe to those who go to great depths
to hide their plans from the LORD,
who do their work in darkness and think,
“Who sees us? Who will know?”
¹⁶ You turn things upside down,
as if the potter were thought to be like the clay!
Shall what is formed say to the one who formed it,
“You did not make me”?
Can the pot say to the potter,
“You know nothing”?

Jeremiah 18:4

But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him.

Romans 9:21

Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for special purposes and some for common use?

Jeremiah 29:11

¹¹ For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Proverbs 3:5-6

⁵Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

⁶In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

I can't decide if that "molding" God does in our lives is painful, or more like a genuine spiritual back massage. :) Dunno. I think it depends a lot on how we choose to look at it. If we are brittle, it will hurt. If we just release our tension, and take the pain, knowing it will make us what we want to be in Jesus, then it can be an exhilarating experience! And I guess some of us are happy to be molded and shaped - even in pain. But we continue to undo the progress. Like we were reading tonight in Corinthians when Paul found out that there was sexual immorality within the brothers. He didn't mince any words, peeps. I'm telling ya, it was brutal. Why are we so careful when we tread on ground with our fellow believers that is strikingly wrong? Are we scared taht we will be judged in like manner? Cuz, yeah, we sure enough will. But is that enough to keep us from helping mold EACH OTHER? I think every last one of us has that dark spot in our hearts where even we don't go. Cuz there's thing hidden there that we don't want anyone to know about. But if we truly are forgiven and set free, why do those things embarrass and scare us anymore? Maybe because we haven't let God work on those dark spots?

I'm as guilty as anyone. Thing is, when I think about it logically....we only have so many years here on earth before, doggone it, everyone's gonna know about it anyway. Let's be a vessel in the master's hand NOW. While we have an opportunity to be used in making heaven someone else's destiny. Let's get those dark corners cleaned. Let's make our hearts a haven for our betrothed, and a welcome place for our Father. I want to feel him smile on me as my heart gets shaped, molded, pushed, prodded, and changed byt the touch of the master's hands.

:)

The Arms That Hold the Universe

I've had some inspiring things happen to me in the past few weeks. God brings me up, and then let's me down easy. The valley's are hard. I don't enjoy them much. It's a lot of tears, pain, and heart brokenness. But I'm learning every day more about his grace and his promise that I CAN overcome in His name. I would say I'm in a valley right now. Kind of like not being able to see the light to break up the dark. You know, everybody needs inspiration, and a song. Something to sing when that darkness in the valley is so long. There never was a guarantee that this life is easy (as a song I'm quoting said!)

Being a woman like God talks about is not so simple! Especially for me it seems like! But I know we all have our sour points. Things where the devil can get to us easily. I just always want to fix the problem right away and be done with it. But some things (like character flaws) are not so easily solved. They take painstaking time, attention, dedication, determination, and a strong spirit of overcoming....and unfortunately it helps to be vulnerable and ask the people we honor and respect to hold us accountable and pray for us.


And sometimes it just helps to cry. :) I know, that's an overstated cliche. But it really does help! It's like that healing rain that the song talks about. And just knowing that when we cry, God cries with us, when we hurt, He hurts with us, and when we fall on our face, he fills us with grace. And nothing breaks His heart like when we cry. Because he KNOWS that the valley is hard, long, and painful. But He also knows that we need to learn how to climb. We need to learn to fall back into the arms that are ever there to carry us. Just the realization that it's impossible to conquer outside of His name makes it so much easier to let go and let God. And since I'm on a song quoting kick, always remember that there's ALWAYS going to be another mountain that we want to make move. There will ALWAYS be an uphill battle, and sometimes (sometimes) we're going to have to lose. But it's not about what's at the top, or just getting it over with. It's ALL ABOUT THE CLIMB.
Always, deep in our hearts, remembering the promise that God gave to Noah and his family when they left the ark after approximately 377 days. He will never again destroy the earth with the floods and rain. It's ALWAYS for our benefit. So stand in the rain. You're not going to drown.

You can hope, you can rise, you can stand. He's still got he whole world in His hands. And the arms that hold the universe are holding you tonight. You can rest inside. It's gonna be alright. And the voice that calmed the raging sea, is calling you His child So be still and know He's in control. He will never let you go.

Genesis 9:13-15
¹³ I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. ¹⁴ Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, ¹⁵ I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life.

...I Believe That the Sun Has Risen....

Proverbs 4:18

¹⁸ The path of the righteous is like the morning sun,
shining ever brighter till the full light of day.

Psalm 72:17

¹⁷ May his name endure forever;
may it continue as long as the sun.

Then all nations will be blessed through him,^a]">[a]
and they will call him blessed.

Psalm 113:3

³ From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets,
the name of the LORD is to be praised.

I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.
C. S. Lewis

Moral Benefits of Wisdom

I love this proverb! It just serves to remind me how much wisdom and knowledge are for our benefit. I want to focus on the eternal. I want to fly free in the knowledge that I am running strong towards my Heavenly Father!

Proverbs 2

Moral Benefits of Wisdom

¹ My son, if you accept my words
and store up my commands within you,
² turning your ear to wisdom
and applying your heart to understanding—
³ indeed, if you call out for insight
and cry aloud for understanding,
⁴ and if you look for it as for silver
and search for it as for hidden treasure,
⁵ then you will understand the fear of the LORD
and find the knowledge of God.
⁶ For the LORD gives wisdom;
from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.
⁷ He holds success in store for the upright,
he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless,
⁸ for he guards the course of the just
and protects the way of his faithful ones.
⁹ Then you will understand what is right and just
and fair—every good path.
¹⁰ For wisdom will enter your heart,
and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.
¹¹ Discretion will protect you,
and understanding will guard you.

1, 2, 3, GO!

Perhaps I'll begin blogging. It would be fun I suppose! And a more productive waste of my time than Facebook. :) Keep checking in!