Heart of Unity...

As I have been seeing all kinds of ugliness on the news and social media… it can be very discouraging if I let it be. I try to be very selective about what I let into my view and thought pattern. I really don’t expect anything different from the world, but when I see the same vile attitude coming from those that call themselves Christians… it is heartbreaking! I am not saying I don’t ever let my “fleshiness” get the better of me… my mouth can be in overdrive at times! I guess what I am saying is this poison that I am seeing, no matter what side of the fence you are on, has been an awakening to closely check my own heart. It has also been my chance to pray for hearts… my own as well as others’! Unity is needed in our country, but even more importantly… unity is needed in the Body of Christ! Here is my prayer for unity:

Father God, The world can be so hateful & cruel, just as it was in Jesus’ time. Lord, guide our actions as followers of Christ. Give us an willingness to be humble and gentle. Help our hearts to be patient and loving, no matter what we face. Bring to our minds that we do not have to have the last word, the battle is Your battle and not ours to fight. Thank You for the hope we have in You… may this hope unify our thoughts and actions. Raise peace in us through the Holy Spirit. Thanking You for Your faithfulness, knowing that You have it all under control. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

“That is why we are not discouraged. Though outwardly we are wearing out, inwardly we are renewed day by day.” ~ 2 Corinthians 4:16

“I… urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling which you have been called, with humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in LOVE, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” ~ Ephesians 4:1-3

Rejoicing in Truth!

Carin

Doubt, Faith, Power…

Learn to doubt my doubt, do not doubt God! I cannot let my past disappointments feed my doubts of today! Faith bigger than my fears!

He said to them, “Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.” ~ Matthew 17:20

Thinking & praying about what God is calling me to… the marriage retreat, & whatever else He has “up His sleeve.” Will what I have in me be enough? Will all that I have inside me come out, make sense, & really matter? What if I let the power, His power that lives within me come out? It is exhilarating & scary all at the same time!!!

I must learn how to speak… loud, proud, & boldly! This realization is life-changing for me… my words have the ability to move with power, effectiveness & life… because of God’s power living inside me. This is the same power that raised Christ from the dead! Life giving, life raising power! Just think about that!!! I can’t even grasp that!

All that God has placed in me is just waiting for me to let it work out through me! Wow! Christ is in me… He will work through me… I just need to let Him flow!

“To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” ~ Colossians 1:27

This is a verse I learned years ago when I went to Lake Ann Camp when I was 11 years old. Never did I fathom what this really meant! To be totally honest, I am only starting to minutely understand it now! Which is probably why I spend so many of my days feeling debilitated & useless.

Ok, so here it is… what if I really believed… God has poured into me His powerful hope that has transformed my life & that through me He can do a work that can impact others’ lives? What if I really believed… people might be able to see Christ through me, changing the world in a supreme way?

As Luke & I prepare for the marriage retreat we are leading in February… He & I have had many conversations about why we have been offered this opportunity… I’ve questioned if we are really up for the “task” set before us. What God is showing me is that He has been preparing us for this… now I need to believe it to be able to see it… walking it out in faith! The steps may be shaky at times, but I know & believe Christ is within me… today I choose to let Him flow through me with the power He has already placed within me!

Rejoicing in Truth!

Carin

WAIT!

Many years I have been given a word that would be a prominent word for the coming year. It was usually something that easily just came to me, but this year... not so much! I’ve been thinking & praying about my “word” for 2017… nothing was really coming… I think I was trying too hard! Trying to figure it out, as I sometimes tend to do... running ahead of God! You never do that, do you?

So this morning, it was made pretty clear… “wait”! WAIT! Really???

I was reading in Psalms 40:1-3 ~ I WAITED patiently for the Lord; and He inclined unto me, and heard my cry. He brought me up also out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock. And established my goings. And He has put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the Lord.

Patience is not always my forte! It might take time for me to get on board with a new idea or project, but once I do I want to get the “show on the road.” I tend to run a little behind when I am meeting someone… I am guilty of making other people wait for me, but I don’t always like to be the one waiting!

I was having a messaging conversation with a friend the other day about praying for God to open the door for an opportunity. She said God is teaching her patience. Learning patience in the heat of the moment is oh so difficult!

Waiting is hard! You wait at the store checkout, in traffic, for an appointment… like your time is less important than anybody else’s! We do everything we can do to keep the frustration level down… or at least we should! Even harder to wait for is a check that doesn’t come, a wayward child to return to the Lord, or for your spouse’s heart to change. We wait for a child to fill up our arms. We wait for our heart’s desire!

So as I was thinking about the whole “waiting game”… God showed me that I need to not focus on the waiting, but on praising Him through the wait! As David said in verse 3… He puts a new song in my mouth… a song of praise! So the wait just might be a good time to learn more about humility, submission, patience, endurance, & persistence. Also, trusting God completely! None of this is or will be possible without trusting the Lord every step of the way! Like it goes on to say in Psalms 40:4 ~ Blessed is the man who makes the Lord his trust, who does not turn to the proud, to those who go astray after a lie!

Let me worship You, Lord, while I wait… drawing others to You!

Rejoicing in Truth!

Carin