Change...Yes, Change

About a month ago, I blogged a title, Winds of Change, little did I know how much of that 'feeling' was correct.  I am not sure if it is my age or the gift of godly discernment is growing within me, but I could literally 'feel' change beginning to take place.  Here I am now, almost a month later, September 11, 2011, looking back over the past month, year...10 years, and stand amazed at how much truly has changed.

While listening to the radio earlier, the host was speaking about the pre-9/11 and post-9/11 days.  Every one's life and our nation has changed, dramatically.  The way we go through airports, the heightened awareness we unfortunately have when we are in large crowds...but what about our daily living?  How long did that change?  A few days, a few months? 

When 9/11 happened, churches around our country were filled, almost maxed out.  People wanted - no, needed answers, so they turned to the place of Truth, Wisdom and Knowledge.  The problem is, most people did not like what they heard, and they decided to go back to trying to run their own lives.  They didn't like when they heard things like 2 Chronicles 7:14:

if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

To truly be a changed nation, we must turn away from ourselves and toward Christ, we must seek His face, we must learn what it means to love Someone else more than we love ourselves.

Yes, a lot of my life has turned upside down this past month, my heart can't seem to figure out which side is up most of the time, but my heart knows Who holds every second, every circumstance, and every outcome.  That I can trust, that I can rely on, and that I can rest in. 

Do you know who He is?  His name is Jesus, and He has loved you since the beginning...no matter what you have done or are yet to do, He loves you all the same.  We cannot make ourselves better, but He can make all things new...including you!  I love you, and pray you have a blessed day!

A Time to...

"There is an occasion for everything, and a time for every activity under heaven:
a time to give birth and a time to die;
a time to plant and a time to uproot;
a time to kill and a time to heal;
a time to tear down and a time to build;
a time to weep and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn and a time to dance;
a time to throw stones and a time to gather stones;

a time to embrace and a time to avoid embracing;

a time to search and a time to count as lost;

a time to keep and a time to throw away;

a time to tear and a time to sew;

a time to be silent and a time to speak;

a time to love and a time to hate;

a time for war and a time for peace."  Ecclesiastes 3: 1-8

When we (Christians) go through times of feeling down, distant, emotional...and admittedly sometimes confused about all those emotions, we instantly think something is wrong with us.  But the Scripture above, God's breathed Word, tells us there are going to be those times in our lives... times like these even appeared in lives of some very godly people in the Bible.  I sometimes feel those stories are there to give us the comfort we need when we face these situations.  Take Elijah for example.

I am sure we are all familiar with how mighty Elijah was for our Lord, a prophet, standing firm, unafraid of the 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of Asherah...Elijah is the one who initiated a 'stand off'.  Today we would say Elijah made a bet with these prophets...I bet my God can rain down fire from heaven and yours cannot.  Who's god would bring the fire down from heaven?  Elijah was grounded in his God...because He is the One true God, and he knew this from experience.....and Elijah's God, the only God delivered, just as Elijah said He would..(1 Kings 18)

But look what happens a few verses over...into Chapter 19...Ahab's wife, the infamous Jezebel, threatens Elijah and he takes off running for his life!  He ends up in Beersheba, then a day's journey into the wilderness, then asked God to let him die there....WHOA...wait a minute!  God's people aren't supposed to be like that!  Elijah was worn out, imagine the amount of faith and endurance were required of him to withstand against those prophets, to speak out for the Lord...(a time to speak)...but then, look what happens next..

An angel touched him, a loaf of bread and a jug of water were provided for him, he ate, drank...and slept.  Then did it again, from the strength of that food he walked 40 days and 40 nights to Horeb.  It was there Elijah poured his heart out to a compassionate and listening Heavenly Father.  He told God (my translation) he was tired of 'preaching' to a bunch of people who didn't care...they were selfish, turned their back on Him, killed the other prophets and were now trying to kill him, he was done!  God didn't say, oh, I understand, other people aren't doing what they are supposed to, so just take it easy and keep hiding out...no, He said, this is what I want you to do now.  He gave Elijah a new assignment.

Maybe what we need now is a new assignment...coupled with a blog for a few days ago, Winds of Change, sometimes that is what we need in oreder to gain a better prespective.  Whatever you are doing that isn't working, ask God for the wisdom you need to make the improvements or changes...He's the only One with the wisdom...

if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives to all generously and without criticizing, and it will be given to him...BUT let him ask in faith without doubting, for the doubter is like the surging sea, driven and tossed by the wind.  That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.  An indecisive man is unstable in all his ways. James 1:5-8

He loves us, even in our 'time to...' moments, talk to Him, take it to Him, and let Him give you the new marching orders!  Have a blessed day!

Winds of Change

Very sorry for disappearing for a bit...things have been a bit crazy...and as the title implicates, I have been experiencing a taste of the winds of change coming just around the corner.

I'm not sure why we struggle so much with change, because it is necessary if we are to be a healthy growing person, but oh, how we struggle!  The same way, I suppose, as the first disciples struggled when Jesus began telling them He had to go away.  Those words were the beginning of the winds of change for the disciples.  Then, in the garden that night, the change began to take place. 

We have so many options when facing the winds of change:

1. FLEE - Many of the disciples chose to flee the scene that night when things got ugly and change was at the door.
2. FIGHT - Peter, specifically, decided he wasn't going to allow this change to take place, and therefore, he chose to fight through the change in order to hold on to what he knew and was comfortable with.
3. FREEDOM - Jesus, however, chose to be free.  Through this freedom, He gave up His life for the lives around Him...and of course, not only them, but us as well.  He chose to set us free, He stepped up to the obstacle, faced the change head-on, and whipped it!

We can follow Christ's example.  We can face that looming change head-on, with confidence and freedom.  We have nothing to fear, if we are striving hard after Christ and His desires for us.  He knows our heart, our motivation.  Is your desire to please God or yourself? 

As we all are or will be heading for the winds of change, I want to challenge you to study God's word.  Do not flip around and see where the page lands.  Pick a book, or five chapters, and dedicate yourself to read and meditate on those for a full 30 days...everyday.  You will be surprised how much He speaks to you.  I know He has been speaking loudly to me!

Have a blessed day!