"Do not look to man"

Yesterday I was watching Daystar.  If you don't know it is a Christian channel that has various preachers and evangelists on it.  I was watching the last part of Joyce Meyer, who by the way is HI-LAR-I-OUS!!  Anyway.  Another preacher came on and he began to share an awesome testimony of God's provision.  He was talking about God's currency and how He is the Banker.  How there are no limits.  He shared how God had used him in Africa to teach about the Lord's abundance.  He also said some things that shot straight to my heart.  Things that I felt were directed right at me. I was in tears listening to this man. 

Then it happened.  He asked that the viewer give the amount that God was laying on their heart right then to Daystar.  He said that he would pray the "100 Fold Prayer" over it and that I, the viewer, would receive my gift back 100 fold.  I sat there listening and as he talked and told more stories of how this prayer worked in the past I became discouraged. I was discouraged because the Lord was not giving me an amount to give.  I kept trying to think of an amount.  The man on TV was encouraging you to put the donation on your credit card.  He was saying that the more you gave the more you would get back.  I wanted to change the channel and then as if he was reading my mind he said "There are some of you that want to change the channel.  DON'T!  The Lord is going to bless you 100 fold".  Eventually I got up and left the room. I went into my closet.  I got down on my knees and cried out to the Lord.

"Why don't you want me to be blessed by this?  I thought you wanted to show me your abundance?  Please just give me a number and I will give it!  I need this Lord." By the end of this my face was flat on the floor and the carpet was wet with my tears.  Before I got up the Lord whispered something to me, "Do not look to man but look to me for abundance".  I was instantly at peace. 

You see I have received a promise from the Lord. One that is exciting.  And in my own flawed human-ness I am looking for the fulfillment anywhere I can find it.  It was a good lesson for me.  I do not doubt that the Lord will bless me or anyone else 100 fold.  And it is very possible that He could have given me an amount to give to  Daystar.  But my heart was not in the right place.  Thankfully the Lord showed me the error of my ways and I was able to be blessed by that alone yesterday. 

There are many changes coming.  I can feel them with every fiber of my being.  I believe they will all be good and I also believe that some of them will be radical.  I believe that the Lord is going to do things that make everything that has happened these last few years seem so insignificant.  I am excited!

Looking for Salvation

As you know I have been reading "Radical" by David Platt.  It is really good but very challenging.  There is nothing new in this book but what it does do is it forces you to look at things in a different way. 

For a couple of months I have been struggling with this new look at life and how it should be lived.  I have struggled with what I am to do with this new knowledge.  At the same time I have learned new things about children and adults that are being mistreated all over the world.  In Proverbs 24:12 it states that "Don't say, "I didn't know it!" God can read your mind. He watches each of us and knows our thoughts. And God will pay us back  for what we do" (Contemporary English Version). The Bible clearly states that once we know we are held accountable for it. 

I had a friend argue that some don't know. That they are ignorant.  I argue that they have an inherent moral code, a conscience if you will.  Today I spent some time in the Word.  I opened my Bible to Romans 1.  I began to read about the salvation of the Lord. Then I came upon something; "..that which is known about God is evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse". Romans 1:19-20.  Romans 2:15 goes on to say that "the Law has been written on the conscience of their hearts". (NASB). This is referring to ALL people.

The Lord told me that He was going to show me His salvation.  I believe that He will.  I am praying for those around the world.  I am praying for those close to home.  I am praying for myself.  I do not know what is in store but I do know that He has a much greater plan that what is going on now.

If you would like to read about some things going on right now please check out this blog, The Blessing of Verity.  It is powerful and real.  There is a lot of evil in this world and just knowing how to pray is enough. 
 

Praying faithfully

This last week I had the chance to receive a word from the Lord through a person with spiritual gift in prophecy. Now I am just going to say that I KNOW that there will be some that will be skeptical of this but let me tell you that I truly feel as though the Lord was telling me things that I needed to hear and he was using this man. 

The circumstances around this situation are long and detailed but I am not going to go into them at this time.  Anyway, the Lord revealed some things to me that only He would know and He encouraged me in them.  The one thing that stood out to me was that He was going to show me His salvation through His abundance. Friends, this has been a long hard road.  Not just Troy being laid off this last October and the various illnesses this year. This journey since 2002 has been rough.  But I feel as though the Lord is really wanting to show me that all of that was not for nothing.  That He has a plan.

I have said from the beginning that I have felt commanded to share what Jesus has done for me.  He has done abundantly more than I could ever imagine, and to think He is promising to do so much more.  There are some very specific things that He revealed to me through the man I spoke with.  I am faithfully praying and waiting on Him to fulfill those promises.  I believe they are true promises from Him. 

The Lord showed me a glimpse of His abundance today.  The kids are in desperate need of new clothes.  They have really had a growth spurt.  I had a friend call and ask if she could drop off clothes on Monday.  I was unable to go through it all until today. (Oh I don't want to forget that I have been trying to save some money to buy a few new dresses for the girls.) Anyway, today I went through all of the clothes.  There were 27 dresses in the pile!  27! I couldn't believe how good the Lord was.  He knew that I was trying to save for a couple of new dresses and He said "I can provide more abundantly than you can imagine".  I would have never expected this.  This may seem small to you but to me this is HUGE.  I was then able to share this with my children.  Ellie was so excited that Jesus did this! 

The LORD swore an oath to David,
   a sure oath he will not revoke:
“One of your own descendants
   I will place on your throne.
¹² If your sons keep my covenant
   and the statutes I teach them,
then their sons will sit
   on your throne for ever and ever.”

 ¹³ For the LORD has chosen Zion,
   he has desired it for his dwelling, saying,
¹⁴ “This is my resting place for ever and ever;
   here I will sit enthroned, for I have desired it.
¹⁵ I will bless her with abundant provisions;
   her poor I will satisfy with food.
¹⁶ I will clothe her priests with salvation,
   and her faithful people will ever sing for joy.

Psalm 132:11-16

I am overwhelmed

It has been a crazy couple of weeks.  The Lord has revealed much to me! He has been guiding me down a path that is new but still familiar.  He is showing me new ways of looking at things. He is making new promises to me and showing me His salvation here on earth. 

I have been overwhelmed with life this last year.  It has been a hard long road but the Lord has always been faithful.  I can see that looking back.  I still feel overwhelmed and alone at times.  Not that I am, but like many I have tried to rely on my own strength! 

My mom gave me the idea to ask the Lord for a verse for the year.  One that I can meditate on for the rest of the year.  One that He wants me to learn from.  I am praying about it and hopefully I will get it soon.  I know that whatever it is because it is from Him it will be good for me. 

Too many thoughts

I have not blogged in a few days because I don't know what to write about. Actually I have a lot of things to write about; I just don't know which one to write about first.  I am currently reading 3 books! This may not be a big thing for some of you but for me it is.  I don't do more than one thing like that at a time.  So to be in the middle of 3 is a little crazy.  The funny thing is they ALL go together!  Which is really a God thing I think.  One of them, Radical by David Platt, is totally rocking my world.  It is making me question EVERYTHING I have done and will do in the future.  It has caused me to look at my life in a whole new way.  To go along with it, Raising Kids for True Greatness by Tim Kimmel, is a book that makes raising your kids even more of a daunting task then it already is. They resounding theme with both of these books is humility. And let me just tell you the Lord is working on me in both of these.

I will write more about each one soon.  Just need to get my thoughts together first.