Blessed beyond words

Yesterday we went to church as usual on a Sunday.  The youth had a meeting and stayed afterwards and my husband and I left to go out for lunch alone.   I told him during lunch I loved our youth meetings and I always got a lot out of the message myself. My pastor's wife does our meetings and she causes all of us adults to think a little outside of the box and consider things in the word we might have just skimmed over before.  I told him I hated to miss the meetings cause I might miss something I needed so after we ate we went back to the church.  I got the tail end of the message and this is the first one I attended that was as seriously toned as the others.  We always have fun and I missed all the games but the message was on sin and how you can't let just a little in that once you are saved you have to turn away from all of it.
We stayed after the message and played more games until our night time service which the pastor felt led to turn into an alter call.  I went up to pray with someone else and I kept feeling that still small voice beckoning me back and I met my oldest daughter halfway back towards our seats.  "I said do you feel like God is calling you up to the alter?"
She smiled at me with tears in her eyes and said "yes"
I took her by the hand and walked up there with her and I couldn't find any words to pray except "thank you Jesus"  I had to call the pastor's wife over to pray with her because all I could say was "thank you Jesus for taking the time to call my baby to live for you"
I have never felt this blessed in my life.  I have two more kids that will cause me to rejoice when they make their decsion to walk with Christ and I know that day will come but right now I am living in the moment of Thanksgiving for Jesus knowing my attempts at following his commandments have lead me to be the mother of my "sister in christ"
After my first miscarriage-my most joyful moment was looking at her little 7lb body and face and thanking God for this gift but the gift he gave me last night-Knowing she will be in heaven is a bigger blessing than that moment.

Another thing that is amazing about this all taking place yesterday is the poem my husband felt led to read.  It was one that God had given him and to me it was a confirmation for both of us we are doing something right!

Footprints in Footprints

Lord as those little footsteps follow behind

A rightous man I want them to find

O how awful if I lead them astray

Woe to me come judgement day

O Lord as the do follow me 

A man of God I want them to see

Give me guidence and direction as I lead

Those little ones will see if you I do heed

For those little eyes will see all I do

Lord let my life help lead them to you

As they step in each footprint I make

I pray Dear Lord that each step I take

Will lead them on a path that is straight to you

A path, a life that is Godly and true

For I am here for just a little while

Lord help me go that extra mile

Lord help me walk rightously while I am here

For these little foosteps will surely be near

Let all my influence point to you and for you to shine

As each little footprint is made inside of mine 

Hillsong United "Oceans"

This song is on my heart and mind a lot lately https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dy9nwe9_xzw

HILLSONG UNITED LYRICS

Oceans (Where Feet May Fail)"

You call me out upon the waters
The great unknown where feet may fail
And there I find You in the mystery
In oceans deep
My faith will stand

And I will call upon Your name
And keep my eyes above the waves
When oceans rise
My soul will rest in Your embrace
For I am Yours and You are mine

Your grace abounds in deepest waters
Your sovereign hand
Will be my guide
Where feet may fail and fear surrounds me
You've never failed and You won't start now

So I will call upon Your name
And keep my eyes above the waves
When oceans rise
My soul will rest in Your embrace
For I am Yours and You are mine

[6x]
Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders
Let me walk upon the waters
Wherever You would call me
Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander
And my faith will be made stronger
In the presence of my Savior

I will call upon Your name
Keep my eyes above the waves
My soul will rest in Your embrace
I am Yours and You are mine 

 I am no longer content just dipping my toes out into the water.  I want to swim and feel the presence of God in all that I do.  My faith is growing and I don't have to worry about drowning if I step out as long as my eyes stay on Jesus-I don't need my feet to touch the bottom ever again!!!!!

CONVICTED

If you google convicted and pick a free dictionary this is what I found:

CONVICTED

1. Law To find or prove (someone) guilty of an offense or crime, especially by the verdict of a court: The jury convicted the defendant of manslaughter.

2. To show or declare to be blameworthy; condemn: His remarks convicted him of a lack of sensitivity.

3. To make aware of one's sinfulness or guilt.

In my walk as a Christian #3 explains my use of the word most.  God convicts those he loves and those that have given there life to him. The word says: 

                  When He comes, He will convict the world about sin, righteousness, and judgment:

                  John 16:8 HCSB

most translations use the term conviction here. KJV does say "reprove" which the dictionary I used says

REPROVE

1. To voice or convey disapproval of; rebuke. See Synonyms at admonish.

2. To find fault with.

 when we give our lives and hearts to Jesus we are asking the holy spirit to come into our lives and help us live a changed life.  We are choosing to walk away from that sin and become a new creature.

The world we live in is very much into phrases and statements like "follow your heart",  "do what makes you happy", "do what feels good", and "if it doesn't hurt someone else then do it."  If we take Jesus into our hearts it isn't going to be just about us anymore.  We are to let him mold us into what he wants. It is always our choice that is why we have free will.  We don't have to live our lives for God we can live them for ourselves.  It is a personal choice each person has to make.  I can't make it for my friends, I can't make it for my family, and they cannot make it for me.  Once you make this choice if you live your life for the Lord it comes to a point that you realize "it isn't about you anymore" it becomes about God and letting the light and love of Jesus shine in your life.

I have said every time I publish something on here I feel butterflies in my stomach and get really nervous because I am putting things about me out there that are hard for me to share. It's very personal, but I have recently realized through one of my favorite christian role models (Lysa TerKeurst) that most of us that put our heart and our flaws out there for others to see feel this, but if putting my self out and humbling myself can touch one person and cause someone to strive for a closer relationship with the Lord for themselves my discomfort is worth it a million times!  It is amazing how sometimes the simple things just click and it takes away fears that you had with them.  I was always worrying about people laughing at me or making fun of me when I put my heart here for them to see but if I am following God's lead it doesn't matter if they laugh at me-he is smiling at me for I am stepping out in Faith and isn't that really what most of it is about? Living life in a way that is pleasing to God-not man.  The opinion of the world around me won't get me into heaven showing my love of the Lord to him takes me out of the darkness of this world full of hate, jealousy, bitterness, and evil. I live in this world full of darkness but I don't have to live in the darkness I have a light to turn to:
 

But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: 1Peter2:9 KJV

Back to the subject of this post lately I have been convicted about judging others.  As we grow sometimes we have a tendency to forget we aren't perfect yet (if we were our time here would be over and we would be hand in hand with Jesus).  We all have things God still needs to help us with.  We have areas we aren't as mature spiritually in as others are things we need to work on.  It's easy to forget how flawed we were in aspects of our life before we let God mold us into what we are.

Lord help me to be a better person and remember we all started somewhere-Amen!

It is a simple prayer but a heartfelt one I pray often.  As a christian we grow and become convicted over more and more as our relationship with Christ grows.  We start feeling we need to change more and more of how we behave and choices we make, but it is because we read more and study more in the word and choose to change. As scripture that confirms this is in Luke:

But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more. Luke 12:48 kjv

Sometimes I have the tendency to forget God works on each of us at different rates of times and on different issues.  I may stumble across a scripture that convicts me of something in my life that needs to change, but one of my friends my get something else from that same scripture or even not notice that particular verse.  Sometimes he convicts one person on something yet another doesn't feel like the same thing is wrong.
Here is an example of that-A Christmas tree.

Jeremiah 10:3-6 (NIV)

³ For the practices of the peoples are worthless;
    they cut a tree out of the forest,
    and a craftsman shapes it with his chisel.
⁴ They adorn it with silver and gold;
    they fasten it with hammer and nails
    so it will not totter.
⁵ Like a scarecrow in a cucumber field,
    their idols cannot speak;
they must be carried
    because they cannot walk.
Do not fear them;
    they can do no harm
    nor can they do any good.”

⁶ No one is like you, Lord;
    you are great,
    and your name is mighty in power.

I know of Christians that believe this passage means that Christmas trees are wrong and if they believe that and feel convicted of that it is fine and nothing is wrong with that, but from what I get from this passage it is another example of how we need to worship God not idols.  Don't worship the tree worship the Lord. That doesn't make the person that doesn't believe in Christmas trees better than me and it doesn't make me better than them as long as we individually try to follow what we feel is God's path for us we are both doing what is right.

It doesn't mean that the person that stays away from that thing is any better than the other it just means they are in a different place and God is working on them in a different way.  This is a fact many of us tend to forget when the newness of Christ fades.  I have been guilty of asking "how can _______ call themselves a christian and do__________?"  And recently I have repented for the occasions this statement has come from my lips.  It isn't my place to walk anyone else's walk.     

When God is working on us in a particular area we tend to run across verses of the subject often.  In devotionals, personal bible study, sermons we attend or listen to online, even scrolling through our newsfeed on fb.  I know I was meant to address this subject here because I kept running across these verses frequently :

So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her. John 8:7 KJV 

 “Judge not, that you be not judged. ² For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. ³ And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? Matthew 7:1-3 (NKJV) 

I have to remind myself not to get self-righteous and think I am better than others.  That doesn't mean that we should turn our eyes the other direction and act like sin is ok, it simply means we need to check ourselves.  I have friends I have confronted on issues that I have read about in my personal bible study and felt strongly that certain verses were meant to help them.  So I pass those verses on. If I see someone struggling somewhere that I am I talk to them about my problems in those areas-sometimes I think God just wants us to share so we know we are not alone in this walk and other times others can grow and learn if we share our experiences.  We are supposed to help each other and encourage one another.  I also recently read somewhere that we shouldn't be sitting in church with a spirit thinking the message is just for another member of the congregation. OUCH! I have been guilty of this and if I quit being self righteous and just think about it there is something for me in the message! Phillipians 2:12 says work out your own salvation. No one else can do that for you it is your personal experience you have to find your ways to follow God and his will for your life.

I feel that all he really wants is our complete Love. I feel that with true Love all else will follow.

With Love comes:

obedience

trust

faith

hope 

and much much more!

After all the best explanation of true love is found in

1 Corinthians 13:4-7 

⁴ Love endures long and is patient and kind; love never is envious nor boils over with jealousy, is not boastful or vainglorious, does not display itself haughtily.

⁵ It is not conceited (arrogant and inflated with pride); it is not rude (unmannerly) and does not act unbecomingly. Love (God’s love in us) does not insist on its own rights or its own way, for it is not self-seeking; it is not touchy or fretful or resentful; it takes no account of the evil done to it [it pays no attention to a suffered wrong].

⁶ It does not rejoice at injustice and unrighteousness, but rejoices when right and truth prevail.

⁷ Love bears up under anything and everything that comes, is ever ready to believe the best of every person, its hopes are fadeless under all circumstances, and it endures everything [without weakening].

Amplified Bible (AMP)

 

the Degrees of Sin

As a human we tend to see the world in shades of gray.  It isn't black and white but we tend to live in grays.
we forget that sin is not in degrees with God.
If I tell a lie and do not repent I am no better than a murderer on death row.
That is hard for my human mind to comprehend. I tend to look at things as worse than one another. but sin is sin there aren't degrees of it with God.

Things are either of the Lord or against the Lord we need to use wisdom with all our actions and choices and not blame the fact that others say it is ok.