Where do you look for answers?

Life is always hard for some, but others kind of float merrily along without a care in the world. Though, for most of us, that season doesn't last too long. Then we find our selves running head long into something huge we've no idea what do do about. At that point we have a few choices.

We can:

1. panic
   
2. get depressed and think life is over
   
3. we can start looking for answers.

If you are smart, 3 will be your choice.

But the first question is: Where do you look for answers? Seriously, when you have a big problem, where do you turn? Many popular choices are:

1. Doctors
2. Books
3. Pastor/Priest
4. Best Friend
5. Fortune Tellers
6. Search the Internet

But often we leave one till the very last when everything else has failed us.

God......

Can you imagine with me for a moment? Pretend you're a devoted parent and your child has a big problem. And maybe by accident or unintended by that child, you discover the suffering your child has gone through. Perhaps your imaginary child needs something that is astronomical to them, but may be simple. for you to fix for them. Maybe they've wasted huge amounts of time and energy fretting, worrying and trying to change things until they give up. But if they had only come to you...if they'd just realized how deep your love went...if only they'd known that you desire to help them and deliver them from suffering.... But not until they've tried everything...exhausted all energy and known resources, they finally humble themselves and come to you.

If this scenario were real, and perhaps it IS real for some of my readers, wouldn't your heart just break? How much anguish you could've spared this precious child!! But they would not let you, or perhaps they didn't trust you. Maybe they were to "grown" too proud and independent! Wanting to "make it on their own!"

For whatever reason, in our story, they didn't turn to you, even though you were willing and able to give them exactly what they needed. Perhaps you'd been down the road they were going and all they really needed was a guide. But no. Not until the value of everything else out there was totally lost to them.

Have you been there? Has your child done this to you? Has he/she shut you out when you knew they were grieving? Did it break your heart? Maybe you did this to your parent. Thinking they couldn't possibly understand. Maybe you thought times were just too different now for them to relate. Then you had your own children. Then your heart longed to be a part of their world...but they would not.

Would you consider for a moment that this story replays itself more than a million times every single day? Maybe not in a physical family, though it IS far too common, but in a spiritual sense.

Many of you reading this maybe find your self in a spot you could've never foreseen and have no idea how to get out of. Maybe you've never even pondered the existence of God. Perhaps you've been taught He's either a myth, or maybe whatever you choose Him to be. Some say God is in everything, or maybe even IS everything.

Let's go back to our story for a moment. Could you put yourself in the place of that child? Just what if God is a Father who loves His child and has all power and recourses at His disposal. But there's only one problem. He only goes where He's invited.

What if.....

Just a thought. What if there IS an answer...what if there IS someone who can help you? What if you look every where ELSE except where your answer really is?

But just maybe you're a bit like me...you believe in God and His Father's Heart, but easily distracted by every day life. I'm the one at the top of this post. Looking to Drs, Books, Internet, Friends... Have you ever heard this phrase, "Now all we can do is pray." As if that's the last resort!

If God loves us as much as the Bible says He does, how His heart must break when we waste so much time, energy and grief looking everywhere but His Heart for what can really help us. Why do we wait 'till the very last to do what we should have done first?

Tonight as this realization hit me, my heart was overwhelmed with the grief that must be in my Father's Heart when I wear myself out and become hopeless. Its as if I've forgotten all the times He's been there and helped me all my life. (see: Time to Remember Pt 2) Yet when my husband's ill, what do I do? I talk to friends. I search Internet info on meds. I order herbs on-line. Not until nothing seems to work and hubby's still suffering I realize what I've done...again.

The tears began to flow as I cried out to my Father...in my heart falling at His feet...feeling the pain of His discounted heart...again. Why have I put Him last? Why have I not called on Him first? We might have had the answer long ago.

Where will YOU go for answers?

Time to Remember...Pt 1

(Alters Built become Monuments in Life)

I don't know about anyone else, but I've been forgetting a lot of things lately. Even important things.

After asking the Lord about this tonight,...told Him with tears that I really needed a brain that works to be a good wife, a good friend, and what He truly wanted. I really need to remember.

Suddenly I had a strange feeling this was about more than remembering when the Dr's is, to put bleach on the grocery list, or when the light bill's due. This was so much bigger. It was though the Lord spoke to deep in my heart and said, "Its time to remember. But until you remember the important thing, you may forget everything else." Amazed and blown away by the answer....I closed my eyes and said, Lord....help me remember....when we knew you were orchestrating the events of our lives....in a way that no man could ever touch the glory....help me remember...and tell the world what You have done! Its time. I need to remember.

Memories started flooding to me from some deep hole in the earth....a place I hadn't seen in a long time.

If you want to go on this journey with me, read on and check back soon for more. Leave comments at the bottom to let me know if any of the stories touch you in anyway. Also comment if the story of how God took me from there to here interests my readers or not. Please leave comments or subscribe to updates. Will work more on this soon! :-)

God Bless You All!

Love,

Rebecca

The Annointed Cat

Needing help for almost every task in my daily household routine, I've been believing God for a special care-giver who would help set our home in order and would be kind. We've sort-of been "getting by" since Jeanne retired in Aug '07.

In Mid-Jan '08 the ad was placed and Delana was hired. We were concerned that even though she seemed a perfect fit, she was very allergic and we have a cat! After a few visits, she was OK and we didn't think much of it again. Saturday night Delana didn't hesitate to help out a friend who had 2 cats. Delana ended up in the ER even tho she never saw, nor touched a cat that night!

It hit me so profoundly that when God does something, when it's truly His providence and we don't just "work-it-up" or "settle-for" what doesn't work, all the pieces are in place! Delana is STILL highly alergic to cats! But God put Delana here, so she's NOT allergic to our cat! "The Blessing of the Lord maketh rich, and He adds No Sorrow to it." - Proverbs 10:22 "Seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and all these things will be added unto you." -Mathew 6:33

Darkness to Light - A Brief Testimony

In September of 1968, I was born with a congenital birth defect called “Brittle Bone Disease.” Over the course of my life, it has caused several hundred, or possibly a thousand fractures to my bones. This has also prevented much growth and has created the need for a wheelchair. (As you may see, I’m a little short for my age. :) Despite, or possibly through these physical challenges, the Lord has shown the power of His grace in my life in so many ways. He has proven repeatedly that nothing is too hard for Him.

Psalm 18:28 and 2 Samuel 22:29 say, “You O Lord are my Lamp, you turn my darkness to light.” It seems like no matter how dark a thing, or situation looks at the beginning, the Lord always manages to shine His Light in there somehow. When it’s over, it’s never quite as dark as it once appeared. That is if we learn to look up, instead of down, around, or behind us. Once we turn our eyes from our dark situation onto the glorious light of His Face and see the brilliance of the Love in His heart, we can never be truly lost, or covered by the darkness again. I really like the New Living Translation’s way of putting John 8:12 Jesus said to the people, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t be stumbling through the darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.”

Raised by a wheelchair riding widowed mother, in a very Christian home, I witnessed first hand the awesome goodness of God and how He cares so faithfully for His children. My earthly father died when I was five. My ‘big’ sister was only seven. Shortly after his passing, I had dreams that my daddy would be alive again. These made me sad in a way, but I almost believed it would happen. After all, Jesus did it for Mary and Martha when He raised their brother Lazarus. Why not our family? Soon, I gave my life to Christ and He came in and filled me with His Spirit, though I didn’t understand that then, I felt Him in me and with me powerfully. He changed me after inviting Him in. After that, the dreams immediately stopped, Then God became my Father, in every sense of the word. However, I still had much to learn about a Father’s Love. Many times growing up, He provided in miraculous ways for the needs of our little family when there was no one else to turn to. He kept us through fire and flood. He gave us food and a place to store it. He even paid for 12 yrs of Christian school for my sister. Usually one miraculous month at a time. He truly has held to His Promise in Psalm 68:5 “A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in His holy dwelling.” Made as another member of our family, Jesus truly dwelt with us. My mom had Him make all the decisions and He never let her down.

At age 18, after calling Jesus my Savior and “Best Friend” for many years, I met someone who truly knew what it meant to call Him Lord. Seeing how Jesus was everything to this person, I began to hunger for more of God in my life. That year I received the baptism in the Holy Spirit and began intensive training in the “School of the Spirit.” Though there were many days that seemed dark and empty after this good friend moved away, the Lord showed the Light of His Love brighter than ever before. He came and filled in the empty places left in my heart and caused me to be able to say, “Jesus loves me” and truly believe it, for the very first time.

Through many trials and tests, over the years since then, the Lord has drawn me ever closer to Himself. Revealing His unconditional, everlasting Love for even the likes of me. For even though I was different from everyone around me, though He did not have to, He proved He loved me just the same. More than any Human ever could. Repeatedly He showed His faithfulness in ways that I could have never anticipated.

One example, despite my physical limitations, is the move into my own apartment. Many told me it would be impossible, However, what is impossible for Man is nothing for God! For five years I lived on my own, but never alone, or without Help. He taught me in my own home, just like for my mother, my help comes from the Lord. Then in 2003 He brought the greatest physical example of His Love, my dear husband Bill, in whom I’ve seen a true reflection of the Heart of Christ.

I've never seen an example of unconditional love, like I've seen in my husband. His love and compassion and selfless behavior reminds me of my Savior everyday. I can only aspire to emulate the reflection of the Lord that I see in him. Not only that, but the fact that he chose me for what was on the inside, not for how I looked. In the Scripture, it says that man looks on the outward appearance, but God looks upon the heart. Once again, my husband reflected the heart of God. And not too puff up my husband, because he wouldn't take it that way. This is merely to demonstrate the physical reflection that we can see. This is to show the seeds of His own heart that God put into my husband and allowed the roots and the fruit to grow. Feeding them with the word of God and watering them with many tears.

Not only has God allowed me to see His wonderful gifts He brings to those He loves, but also the indescribably beautiful Heart of Love He has that lies behind each and everything He does. Now He truly is my Father, my Lord, my Dearest Friend, my Love and my Life.

My prayer is that the hearts of God’s people would be set FREE and set on fire for God and the things associated with Is Kingdom. Shining brightly with the Light of His love. Then we will stop worrying about what is wrong in our own lives, but surrender ourselves as instruments of Grace in the Hand of God. I pray that the power of that Love would illuminate the hearts of this darkened world. That alone will transform the lives of the lost and the lonely, the wounded and the dying, and all those who all their lives long to see and to know a real, pure love. Which only comes from God through his people. We can be that example, once we know the awesome power of God’s Love for ourselves.

Seek Him & His Love will find you.

by Rebecca D Thames 3/2/2008

.

(For a Whole Collection of These Type of Inspiring Writings, Please Consider My Book, "Songs and Poems from the Heart.")

Mustard Seed Faith

I was just reading in Matthew 17:20, where Jesus said if you have the faith the size of a grain of mustard seed that you can say to this mountain be removed and and cast into the sea and it would do it.

I've often wondered why it seems that that doesn't work very often; you know here and now in the present in the real world. Have you ever struggled with this?

Of course God's Word is true. There's no doubt about that. But what does this verse actually mean? And why don't we see mountains going into the ocean? Especially if all we have to do is tell them to do it, right? oh! I forgot. We have to do it in Jesus' Name, right?

Wrong!

When I was reading this just now, it hit me. It didn't say just tell that mountain to go into the sea and it would. Jesus said, if you have faith.

He did not say if you name it and claim it. He did not say if you make the right confession. He did not say if you tell it to go often enough, long enough, loud enough it will go. He did not say if you ask him, in spite of the impossible odds.

Jesus said, if you have faith.

Let's think about this for just a minute. Do you think you would ask a mountain to go into the sea? I doubt that I would. Why not? Kind of silly right? I mean, what possible purpose would a mountain have for jumping into the middle of the ocean? It seems a bit ludicrous even to think that my words could have enough power to pick up a mountain and throw it in the water. But you know what? Just because that is what I believe, it will never happen.

I don't care how many times I tell that mountain to go into the water, because I believe it's stupid and for no purpose, it will never happen. Not because God's Word is not true. But because I don't believe in my heart.

The same is true about any insurmountable situation that you might face today. This is so powerful! You can name and claim the answer to your prayer all day long. You can positively confess until you're blue in the face. You can write it on the calendar. You can write it on 3 x 5 cards, and carry them in your pocket, taking them out and read them, whenever you want remember, or maybe remind God this is what you need. As if he would forget.

You can do all this if it will help you. But until you get it settled deep within your heart, into the very fabric of your being that your God, the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob, a God who parted the Red Sea, the God who spoke all word of life came into existence, this God is big enough and walling to help you, this will never be! Until the true character of God is established in your heart, knowing that He has only your good in mind, no matter what things may look like right now, that mountain is never going into the water!

So, my dear friends, settle it in your heart today. God is good. He is not only good He is Love. And he is all sufficient. He is all powerful. And He knows exactly what it will take to get you from where you are to where you need to be.

The road might be bumpy along the way, but as long as you know He is with you and He is well able to keep you from falling and provide for all of your needs, you will have what you believe God will do and is able to do.

Remember, he knows your heart. You may be able to fool everyone else, and maybe even yourself. But man looks on the outward appearance and God looks upon our hearts. He made us, so he knows what we are made of and He knows what makes us tick. He knows what inspires us. He knows what brings the joy. He knows what it is going to take to see us through. And he has the power to pull it off! :-)

Trust Him. Don't struggle. Don't fret. Don't try to beat down every door. Stand still on see the salvation of the Lord.

Much love,
Rebecca