The Haunted Houses of Life

 What do you fear?

Fear has a purpose. It reveals an area in our lives of false belief because God has told us so many times to "fear not". 

Fear in life is like the haunted house or the roller coaster ride.  One thing that enables me to "enjoy" these activities is because I understand that even though they can scare me... they can not harm me.  They have limitations. 

There are things in this life that scare us.  Each person has their "boogey man". So many times, the enemy likes to take those things that brings fear into our lives and diminish the freedom we were meant to experience. 

But God has told us so many times through scripture to "fear not."  In fact.. it is the most repeated command throughout the whole Bible.  

Here are just a few times that God deals with fear in the Bible: 

Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.

Isaiah 41:10 

For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

2 Timothy 1:7

These are just a couple. 

As you read this post.. I know that it will ring true with you.  But... just letting it ring true will not be enough to change how you deal with this fear.  It might encourage you for today.. But tomorrow.. those fears will come back to torment.  We have to take God's word and revelation and constantly repeat this lesson to ourselves so we don't forget it.  Jews even to this day wear scripture on their bodies to remind themselves of God's word.  We are told throughout scripture to meditate on God's word.  For me to learn this lesson of dealing with my fears.. I have to write it down.  I have to set alarms on my phone alarm frequently to remind myself.  I have to be diligent in order to truly learn this lesson.  

One of my biggest fears is a fear of depression.  Depression consumed a large chuck of my life.  Today, I walk in a lot of victory over that dreaded disease. Praise God!  But.. there are times that I wake up and I there is a sense of heaviness and depression that I face.  To be honest it used to scare me.  I had this fear that I was going to slip back into this abyss.  Now.... I am learning to realize that it is just like that huanted house or that roller coaster ride.  It was meant to scare me.... but it can not!   

I will constantly remind myself ot this fact until... I just naturally walk in the freedom that God desires for me. 

Boo!

Be blessed!

Jesus Is More Concerned With The Individual

 We all know the story of Jesus' first recorded miracle.  John chapter 2 says he was at a wedding.  They ran out of wine.  Jesus' mother wanted Him to do a something to help.   

He said to her in verse 4... Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come.

I have wondered what this phrase (Mine hour is not yet come).  

This morning I was thinking on that phrase and what it could mean. 

Perhaps a big public miracle would have thrust Jesus' ministry into the lime light and then it would take away from personal ministry that He might have wanted to have with His disciples..... and even to other individuals.   Jesus was always concerned about the individual before He was the crowd.  Jesus is always more concerned about you and wants to relate to you in a very personal way than He is appealing to the masses.  Jesus is always a very personal Savior... truly caring about those things that pertain to you.

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Is God Egotistical?

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We were not made to worry

Situations come to our mind.... not for us to worry and fret, but to PRAY and to PLAN.... and to trust.  We were not made for worry.

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WASHING WITH THE WORD

A habit that I started a few months ago... that has brought great results in my life.... is giving more place in my liffe to the God's Word.  

I am always looking for easier ways to do things in my life.. and this is one practice that has done that for me.  

Sleeping.  I usually keep white noise in my earbuds when I sleep.  I work nights and sleep days... So this practice keep things consistent for me.    

But.. I have added listening to the Bible with the white noise.  It is amazing the peace and cleansing that takes place continually in my soul because of this practice.  

The very first Bible verse I ever memorized was Joshua 1:8

This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.

This verse has proven so true and accurate in my life...  And now... after all these years... I can look back and see that giving attention to God's word has brought great succes in my life... (of course.. if you read any of my posts.. you know my #1 focus is a vibrant and practical relationship with God's Holy Spirit).  It takes both to live the life that The Father desires for us to live.  If you want more info on how to have that relationship with the Holy Spirit... please message me. 

Some additional points about frequent use of the bible.

Jesus said, Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you (John 15:3)

Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word. Psalm 119: 9

So... the practical side of listening to this word... You can do it anytime of course... While you sleep... getting up and getting ready for your day... Driving... etc....

Download the app. YouVersion
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.sirma.mobile.bible.android

Open the App

Bottom left tap Icon that says READ

Tap Top left for the place in the Bibile you want to start listening to

Tap the 2nd icon on the top left for the translation.  You have to choose from the translation like KJV etc.. that has the little speaker 🔊 icon next to it

You might have to download the version of the Bible you want to listen to.

It will open up the Bible passage for you...

there will be a play button ▶️ about 3/4 of the way down the page... Click on that button... and listen away.  

It should play continually... until you push the stop button. ⏹️.  If it doesn't play nonstop,  just repeat the above process and it should read to you continually.

if you need help with any of these steps.. please let me know. I would be glad to help.

I Leak

 I leak... 

Most of my life... I have lived with the realization that I am broken.  I have prayed for healing.  Some areas have been mended at best.

After 58 years on earth. I have come to the realization that I am who I am.  

I have heard the story about the broken bucket several times in my life and that story comes to mind this morning. 

If you don't know that story.. I will summarize... (if you know this story, jump to the end to read my application.... 

A young child was assigned a chore.   Each day, she would walk to the well.... fill up two buckets and then make her way back to the house. 

Day after day she would do this task but noticed when she got back to the house that one bucket was half empty. 

One day, her father noticed that his daughter was sitting on the porch looking dejected. When asked, why so downcast she replied, "I can't do anything right!" The father asked her to explain.

She told him of her dilemma. 

The father  took her hand and they walked slowly to the well. Along their walk he showed his daughter that what she thought was a failure,  unknowingly to her, had created a wonderful display of beauty.  You see,  as she walked that path with the leaky bucket, she was watering flowers unnoticed by her because she was focused on her failure.

     🌻**************🌻

I have come to the realization that God has used me more in my brokenness than He ever could have if I was totally whole. 

Embrace who you are!

Allow God to use you in your brokenness.... and.... feel free to unashamedly leak every place you go!

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The Death of Fall

A friend of mine reminded me of something a posted a few years back. I thought I would share it again....... There are so many current events where this could apply. Let's let go of those things we need to let go of.. in order to allow for new life.. and new beginnings.

"I love the fall... the cooler temperatures. The lower humidity. Football season. Knowing that my favorite holidays are coming. The beauty of the falling leaves. But there was always this nagging thought of death and decay because of the falling leaves and the drabness after all the leaves were gone.

Well... this is my 2nd day in the woods doing a three day backpacking trip in Zaleski State Forest and a paradigm shift came to me about this morbid part of fall. I am sitting here eating my lunch and taking a break from the trail... and leaves are falling all around me. I was thinking again about this dark side of this wonderful season.. and then it hit me. It is not about death at all..... it is about letting go. You see.... the trees are not dying. The trees are merely letting go and making way for new growth in the spring. Sure it looks like death. Sure it looks like nothing is happening. But the trees are just allowing a natural part of life to occur. Letting go and making way for the new growth.

We should learn this important lesson from this season and the trees. We need to so readily let go of things in order to make room for newness to come. There might be a "death" type season where nothing is happening. But WE do not die. It is just the things that are no longer needed. They drop off in order for the new to come. So... let go.... new life is coming."