God be for Me, who Can be against me

This is so crazy!  Here I am getting excited about going back to school however, uncertainty and doubt is screaming at me.  Yelling at me--maybe you should think about this.  Maybe you should wait a little longer just to make sure you want to do this. Maybe you are not ready for this?  Maybe you are not hearing correctly and should wait for some confirmation that this is truly from God?  Maybe? Maybe? Maybe?  The famous question  the devil asked Jesus, "If you are the Son of God?"  The famous question the devil asked Eve, "Did God really say..."  This must indicate that I must be going in the right direction because doubt is trying to scream louder than the still small voice that tells me, "Go for it!  You never know until you try it!  I am with you."  As God spoke to Joshua as they went to claim their  Promised Land, "Do not be discouraged or afraid, for I am with you."

My prayer, is that the voice of God will become much louder than any barks of doubt or fear, or uncertainty.  Confident in knowing that God is with me. He is for me.  He delights so much in me.  And He is the one that I put my trust in.  I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.  My greatest enemy right now isn't people, circumstances, or the enemy---its myself.  Believing in myself to achieve the impossible; doing the outrageous; being a History Maker and World Changer for the sake of the Kingdom.  Living to give God glory through all the work of my hands.

Wild Goose Chase

"A part of use feels as if something is spiritually wrong with us when we experience circumstantial uncertainty.  But that is precisely what Jesus promised us when we are born of the Spirit and start follwing Him.  Most of us will have no idea where we are going most of the time.  And I know that is unsettling.  But circumstantial uncertainty also goes by another name: adventure...I think it is only fair that I give a Wild Goose warning at the outset of this book:  nothing is more unnerving or disorienting than passionately pursuing God.  And the sooner we come to terms with that spiritual reality, the more we will enjoy the journey..." ~ Mark Batterson from the book "Wild Goose Chase"

I do not know about anybody else.  However, the beginning of this year has felt like a big white canvas.  For those who are not artist, if you are beginning to start painting and someone gives you a big canvas to paint on--it can be intimidating because you are not quite sure what to do with it.

For me, God has upgraded me to step into a bigger place, much broader place and much spacious place.  He is making room for me to grow, think bigger, bolder, and much more brighter.  I do not know where this path is going to lead me however that is the wonderful thing about adventure---you don't know where you are going.  I know for me when I am out in nature and I see a side path that is off the main route---I usually take it just to see where it leads to.  You never know what you will discover on that route.  It may be a dead end OR it maybe a place a lot more exciting than the orginial path I was taking.

I am heading in a new adventure that I never thought I would do--I fought the idea of it and again God's timing is everything.  I am in the perfect place and season for it.  My new adventure is going to school.  What for:  Criminal Justice.  And I know its God because I am not concerned about what kind of degree I am going to get, I am not concerned about the amount of money I am going to make, I am not concerned about how to pay for this---what I see when I heard this is all the people I could influence for the Kingdom of God; different ways that God could touch people's heart and transform lives not to mention impact the culture around me.  I felt the pleasure of God all over it.  What is this going to look like?  Where is it going to take me?  Who knows?  One thing that I am discovering about God, when you ask Him for an adventure, He will give you one---and it may not look the way you thought it would or how you wanted it to, however, He never disappoints.  I am going to enjoy this journey because I believe I am going to experience the pleasure of God in the midst of it not to mention His presence all over it.  I get to enjoy God.  And He get to enjoy me enjoying Him.

Love's Definition

God, you are so amazing! Again, I thank you for your Son, Jesus Christ, dying on the cross and taking on all the punishment and wrath of my sins so that I could live by your grace and relentless love and longsuffering. Thank you so much that even if I fall short or when you examine my heart and issues come to the surface, they are completely under the blood. Jesus you died for the sins of the past, present, and future---so I get the gift of repentance. Changing the way I think.

What I am really loving is that you are expanding my understanding of the cross more and more. How much you loved me! How much you truly was in love with me! How much you so believed in me and what Father God has created me to do---you were beaten until no recognition; you were ridiculed, spat upon, persecuted---you embrace that cross, died, and then was buried and was RAISED ON THE THIRD DAY!!!

I grew up hearing about the cross; hearing about Jesus dying for me---however the more and more I get to know God---He's opening my heart to fresh revelation of what He has done so that I can truly appreciate the freedom I get to walk in. Jesus died to give me abundant life. He exchanged all the pain; suffering, sorrows, and hopelessness of this world so I could have His great joy, peace, love, rest, kindness---His nature and character. When we still wallow in failure; mistakes; shame; hopelessness; and issues--we really haven't embraced the fullness of what Christ Jesus did. IT IS FINISHED. And to live a life less than what He paid the most ultimate price for-- It would like be spitting on the cross and stating what He did wasn't enough.

We want to live like we know what He did. The Cross is a gruesome picture however, its not something to grieve---He's not dead. He's alive and well. The Cross is a poetic picture of a Lover willing to lay down His life for His Love so she could live---BOLDLY AND BEAUTIFUL for all the world to see. We should be so love, so astonished by God; so in awe of who He is and His great love for us that we shout it to the roof tops for all the world to see and to know this type of love. God is not obsessed with sin---its already been taken care of---He's obsessed with life!!!



"Then I saw Him there
Hanging on a tree, looking at me
I saw Him there
Hanging on a tree, looking at me
He was looking at me looking at Him, staring through me
I could not escape those beautiful eyes
And I began to weep and weep" ~ Lyrics by Misty Edwards, "Arms Wide Open"