God Moments

Yesterday morning as I woke up, music was playing on my alarm, which is quite rare as usually I'm awake long before it goes off :) The sunlight was already beginning to shine through the blinds and the words that were playing in the songs were "How great is our God, sing with me, how great is our God...then sings my soul my Savior God to thee...Open the eyes of my heart God, open the eyes of my heart, I want to see You...Holy holy holy I want to see You....Hallelujah what a Savior, He is everything to me.." What a great way to wake up! ♡ I love waking up when my heart is so in tune right away with the things of God and feelings of peace and contentment just wash over me! So, I got up out of my bed with my heart/mind singing all these songs and opened the blind to this amazing sun rising above the rooftop of the house behind me. Right now the words on my alarm are saying "Just look at the sun for a moment and think the Lord's glory is 10,000 times more intense than that sun." Wow!! I love that!!! ONLY GOD can time things like that and speak so directly in a single moment! Oh how I praise Him! ♡

When I opened my Bible, it opened to the passage in Psalm 119 and my eyes fell upon verses 145-149 which have been my situation many times "I pray with all my heart; answer me, Lord! I will obey your principles. I cry out to you: save me, that I may obey your decrees. I rise early, before the sun is up; I cry out for help and put my hope in your words. I stay awake through the night, thinking about your promise. In your faithful love, O Lord, hear my cry; in your justice, save my life." ...and I will add 'save my children's and loved ones lives too.' How perfect is that to read those words on this beautiful morning. It's often in the place that I've been...staying awake, rising early, crying out for God's help, putting my hope in Him and His words, wanting God to answer me, thinking about His promises, etc...
Right now the words on my alarm are singing.."how I long for that day to see You face to face and I will see you and touch you in that day...my heart yearns for you, great will be that day, oh God we wait on You, my eyes are turned toward You...great day when the sun/Son is rising, great when the day is fading and we wait on You.. "...yup my heart is full first thing that morning and it is longing.....is yours? ♡

I rise early, before the sun is up;
    I cry out for help and put my hope in your words.

Psalm 119:147  NLT

This verse especially rung deep in my soul as that is often the case for me...I'm usually an early riser, before the sun (in winter) or right after the sun (in summer) and placing my petitions before God and putting my hope in His promises. Right now my daughter Alysha is travelling and will be home soon. I get a little more nervous when she has many connections to make and flights to catch...but I know that God can do a better job at looking after her than I can. :)  She's had a tremendous experience travelling and has made incredible memories...from Bible school at Capernwray to staying at a friends over Christmas in England, to making new friends there, to travelling throughout Europe to staying at friends in Switzerland - friends that we had JUST met this past summer...another God ordained moment in our lives...which there are many of! :) We met in summer, Olga is a sister to my friend Helena, so now Alysha was in Olga's home in Zurich and we got to SKYPE the other day! SO THANKFUL! God is amazing!! :)

This past Sunday, which was Palm Sunday, we had a great day starting with church and being given Palm branches to use during worship. The passage of Scripture from John about the people laying down palm branches on the road in front of Jesus as he rode on a colt into Jerusalem was on my mind and I had wonderful memories of being in that place while I was in Israel this past March. I couldn't help but go through some of my photos and post a few. :)  Then we had a lovely lunch and visit with our son. Love it when he comes home! ♥ Then we ended the day by going to a Christ in the Passover presentation (put on by www.jewsforjesus.org) which took us through a Jewish Passover meal. It was wonderful and gave us more understanding of what Passover is and how it is celebrated by Jews all over the world. Once we got home, we also watched a documentary put on by Day of Discovery of how a Jewish man came to receive Jesus and believe that He is the Messiah. It was great to see all the Scriptures that led him on his journey to this decision. It is not always easy for a Jew to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, as many are still waiting for a messiah to come.

But it is also so interesting to me that right now in Bible study, we are journeying through the Book of Revelation as well and learning more about the end times. On the night of Passover, a lunar eclipse happened where the moon turned a blood red. Many believe this is prophetic of the end times being much closer than ever before. Four blood moons will be happening in a row...now, then in September 2014, then April 2015 and again in April 2015 with a solar eclipse happening right in the middle of the 4 blood moons. No one knows the day or the hour when Christ will return but it sure will be interesting to see what will happen in the world during this time. I enjoyed reading this blog post on the explanation of these blood moons.  John Hagee also has much teaching on these four blood moons. I believe it's definitely a sign of the times. I hadn't seen the eclipse personally but there have been many pics on Instragram and Facebook. Here's a few of them that I put together in a collage...I have the names of all the people who took them if you need to know. :)
It's always interesting to me the timing of things...and it's no coincidence that we're taking Revelation right now, with Passover happening and this lunar eclipse happening. 

So I will go back to my verse posted above, that I've chosen in the Scripture memory challenge I'm involved in....I will lay my petitions before God and put my hope in His words....we don't know what will happen tomorrow...or today..but we can rest in God's promises and trust in HIM to work all things out for good. 

The Battle is Fierce but the Ending is Glorious!

For a bit now I've been struggling with feeling beat up, down on myself, inadequate, out of control, not knowing what I'm doing, worrying a bit too much and feeling very defeated at times but Wednesday morning was the worst. There are days and times in our lives where these feelings and thoughts can be so strong. Why? What do we do with them? As I was preparing for the Revelation Bible study God reminded me in a very impacting way that the devil and his demons are constantly going around accusing us to God and always wanting us to feel the way I was, and many other ways too. God is doing so many amazing things around me, in me, through me - and I don't say that with pride but with fear and trembling because I don't have one inch of an iota to do with all that - if it wasn't for Him, I'd be nothing and I'd be nowhere - but anyway, God is doing so many amazing things and the enemy is fighting fighting fighting. And honestly, there are days when I do become weary of the fight as it can be quite constant and we cannot afford to let up or take our armor off for even a day. The devil wants nothing more than for us to fall, to be defeated, to worry, and to be of no use to anyone because we're so wrapped up in our selfish little bubble. He also wants us to give up praying for and encouraging those around us who don't understand or 'don't seem to get it' or seem completely not interested in following the Lord right now. We're not to give up on anyone! We can't!!  We gotta keep loving, keep praying and keep on pressin on. :) We also need to remember that we can only plant the seed, others will water it, others may cultivate it but it is only the Holy Spirit of God who can truly transform a person into a believe and faith in Jesus Christ.

When I was preparing for my study, Daniel 12:3 told me that "those who are wise will shine as bright as the sky and those who turn many to righteousness will shine like stars forever."  Wow! That's what I wanna be!! I am a true wannabe! :) I do want to shine for Jesus like the stars forever.  But this takes continual fellowship with God and following His ways daily. On this day that I felt like whining, the study also had me go into Philippians 2:14-15 which told me "in everything you do, stay away from complaining and arguing, so that no one can speak a word of blame against you. You are to live clean, innocent lives as children of God in a dark world full of crooked and perverse people. Let your lives shine brightly before them." Ok God! I get the memo! : )  Forgive me for the whining and help me to keep focused on You! But the Devil loves to get us with our complaining and arguing, doesn’t he? I guess that’s why the Lord wanted to send me that reminder on Wednesday. : ) But the devil also wants us to believe that all the immorality and impurity happening in our world is okay.  It is easy to get depressed when one gets to dwell upon how much the world is becoming more immoral with each day that passes. His desensitizing ways through the media and politics can be very powerful if we spend too much time in it. The Bible study video took us to Revelation 17 which speaks of the great prostitute that will rise, who is symbolic of a great seductiveness that uses immoral means to gain its own pleasure, prosperity and advantage. She mixes all sorts of wonderful kinds of thoughts/ways/spirituality to throw everyone into a state of confusion and she is funded by the devil to keep people confused with all the sparkling appetizers and diamonds of this world. She is the representation of the carnal unending appetite of man and with her seductions she convinces many people of all that is appealing in this world to keep them from following Jesus Christ. It sure sounds to me like this is already happening very much in our world today. So in contrast to that great prostitute is Christ’s bride – the church, is holy, pure and obedient, completely opposite of her ali, so therefore will be hated to a great extent by those who will not ever believe in Jesus Christ. 

So, you’re thinking, Lisa, you’re getting us all down and depressed with you now.  This world is a horrible place! What are you doing? Well my friends, like the picture states, it takes having faith in Christ, being happy happy happy :) and being a fearless daughter of the Bible AND like the song that is playing in my home right now, “I wanna be heaven-minded, I wanna be heaven-minded, I wanna be heaven-minded....I wanna be like You God.”  What does that take? That takes realizing that yes this world is going to end one day and things will become worse and worse until that time....BUT....Jesus has already won the battle and God WILL have the victory in the end! Whoohoo! With all that’s going to happen, don’t you want to be on the winning side?? I know I sure do! By the end of that Wednesday and into the next day on Thursday, I felt so victorious and the gloomy cloud hanging over me had been lifted. I know it was spiritual warfare cause it was a super intense study we were covering that night as well. A sweet part of that day was that I had two different friends in different creative ways, they let me know at different parts of the day that they were praying for me! I love it when God does that!! He ALWAYS sends us confirmations that it's His battle and we're not in the fight alone. After the many tough chapters that are to come that are prophesied in the book of Revelation, the ending of the book is glorious and I CAN’T WAIT to stand before the Throne of God in that “vast crowd too numerous to count” with the heavenly angels filling the sky singing so beautifully “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty!” Ooohhh, I can’t wait for that day! And that my friends, is why I do what I do. It’s why week after week I journey through Bible study after Bible study with many others who are hungry for righteousness and truth, who are thirsty for the Word of God, and who want to deepen their walk with God on a daily basis. That is why I have days where the devil tries so hard to make me feel defeated but I KNOW that I AM an overcomer because of the Spirit of God that dwells within me and I can rely on the Joy of the Lord to give me strength! : )  And...that is why God is giving me this verse to memorize for ‘such a time as this’ in the Scripture memory challenge that I'm in this year. My music pastor at church gave it to me this morning when I was in his office for prayer before the Friday morning Bible study group began...thank you Pastor Lorn! :)  It comes from 1st Corinthians 15:58 in the New International Version. 

Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you 

know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

I just realized that I had been working on memorizing this verse last May but in the New Living Translation. But this time the 'stand firm' or 'be steadfast' (from ESV) 'let nothing move you' words stood out to me because the battle can be intense at times and it's only with God that we can stand firm and steadfast. ♥ There will be times we'll feel down and defeated...but the important part is to get back up and keep at standing firm in the Lord. It's His battle and with His Armor on, we can always win together with Him!  :)

Peace on Earth

    I really do need to start writing again. So much goes on in my life in a day/a week...God amazes me continually with what He is doing in my life and in the lives of those around me. I love Facebook and I post on it a lot...too much for some :) ... but it is a great way to communicate and to keep in touch. I much prefer connecting with people through there than just sitting and watching TV. I love to share pics and quotes, learn from others and see what's happening in the world around me. I'm not much for watching the news...it's too depressing...but I love to hear what's happening in the lives of people in my life and seeing how God is moving in them and through them. 

As I read, I pray too and so to me it's not just a gossip column...I hate seeing it as that... but it's an encouragement and prayer session too. It can be used for wonderful things and it's so quick to be kept up to date and to send out encouragement to others through prayer requests and photos. I love those online hugs and chats! I don't know what I would do if I didn't have FB to keep in touch with my daughter who's on the other side of the world right now. Even though she's not in the room with me, it does feel as though she's right next door beside me through the computer. Technology can be an amazing thing when it's used right. :)

   Yesterday I had some of my family over and it was wonderful to bless my little mamma before Christmas. It's been tough to plan a family gathering this year with all of our families growing so much and people going in opposite directions. Family time is precious and I'm so thankful that each of us has that time with our kids, and for some, the time with the grandkids...I'm not at that point yet...hopefully not for a while yet. :)  I love the stages my kids are at right now and I know that when the grandparent time comes, I will love that time too. But for those that could stop by and enjoy some visiting yesterday, it was wonderful! One of the highlights was surprising gramma with a skype chat with Alysha in England. She was so pleased to see a 'picture' of one of her granddaughters on the computer but when she started to talk and move on the computer, well, that made gramma cry. :) It was a precious moment to share!

   But there was other things on my mind too. These past few days I've come into contact with many different people who've all got a story to tell and are all on a different journey. I spoke with a man who has no home and lives in a van, even through these bitter cold days, but often has a smile on his face and carries his Bible with him everywhere he goes. I spoke with my friend in England over video chat who asked me to walk outside and show her the bright blue skies above us because she rarely sees them where she lives and both her and her husband expressed how beautiful that sky was. I've sat with friends who are missing a loved one this Christmas...many are missing loved ones who've passed on and are not present with them on this earth any longer. There are friends who are not on good terms with family members and that makes the Christmas season tense and full of not-so-good memories. Single moms are struggling through this month as well and need a smile, a hug or words of encouragement. People in Ontario have been without power for hours and will be for days yet because of a major ice storm passing through that country. Others are into huge debates and discussions over the Duck Dynasty issue. Then there's a man who's struggling for life in a hospital bed....all of these people have a story...a testimony...someone who God has made in His image and who are all searching for the meaning of life...the purpose of their own lives.

   Through this all, there is to be love joy peace...and the greatest one being love. As Jesus and Phil Robertson would say, we need to love. Love is the greatest commandment and we are to love our neighbor as ourselves. Love does not envy, does not boast, does not keep a record of wrongs, and it is kind, patient, forgiving and covers a multitude of sins. I love Love! This love dwells in us through the power of the Holy Spirit...God is love and He pours His love into us so that we can love others the way He's designed us to love...we just gotta want that love. :)  Then there is also the peace that comes from God that surpasses all understanding...oh how I love that peace and want it ever so much continually in my life. 

Before Jesus left this earth, in John 14:27 he said, "I am leaving you with a gift--peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give isn't like the peace the world gives. So don't be troubled or afraid." Being a mom with teenagers, a daughter with extended family, a wife with a precious hubby, a friend with wonderful sisters in the Lord around her...keeping in mind what Proverbs 31:25-26 says is very important to me:  "She is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs with no fear of the future. When she speaks, her words are wise, and kindness is the rule when she gives instructions."  It's easy to be afraid and allow fear to consume my thoughts...but that would be very unwise. :)  When I think of all my friends and family and those that I've spoke with in the past few weeks, I pray these verses over them and that is my wish for them all this Christmas.

   In addition to all that, I myself desire to be this woman in Proverbs and to also have the precious gift that Jesus left his disciples. To be filled with such an amazing surpassing-all-understanding peace, to have the incredible joy of the Lord that no circumstances around me can steal, to flow with an unspeakable grateful heart which is overflowing because of God's astounding goodness and to love unconditionally with the love that God gives freely to all who ask for it....yes that is who I desire to be and I yearn for all those greatly....and I know I can have them. :)        

 Wisdom  Kindness  Strength  Dignity  Courage  Peace of Mind   Salvation  No fear  

May it be so Lord....in those around me...and in myself....may it be so.