Abiding in Him

I am not an eloquent writer and don't claim to be in any sort of way, so please bare with me on my posts as I just write plainly from my heart/mind in what God is speaking to me.


I was reading in 1John the other day and I haven't been able to get off of my mind what I read. As time speeds up I realize that I need more of Jesus every day. He has placed me here for this time - this season for a purpose...I need to find and fulfill that purpose.


1John chapter 2 talks about being a Christian - having Jesus in us and how to know when someone does not have the Truth truly in him. Verse 5- 6 says

"But he who keeps (treasures) His Word [who bears in mind His precepts, who observes His message in its entirety], truly in him has the love of and for God been perfected (completed, reached maturity). By this we may perceive (know, recognize, and be sure) that we are in Him: Whoever says he abides in Him ought [as a personal debt] to walk and conduct himself in the same way in which He walked and conducted Himself."

Ouch.

How have I walked and conducted myself??? I have to admit I know that I haven't always walked and conducted myself in the way HE walked and conducted Himself.

Ouch.

Then go on to Chapter 3 and there it says in verse 6

" No one who abides in Him [who lives and remains in communion with and in obedience to Him - deliberately, knowingly, and habitually] commits (practices) sin.
No on who [habitually] sins has either seen or known Him [recognized, perceived, or understood Him, or has had an experiential acquaintance with Him]. "

Man, how many people say that they are Christians yet deliberately and knowing that is wrong sin? Going against the very word of God and what He stands for?! My heart is just grieved at my imperfections and the imperfections of the Church as a whole. We are not the Bride that we are suppose to be! We have let our standards be filtered with the worlds standards. The Church as a whole has become hypocrites - just like the Pharisees.

Now, I know that not every church or everyone is a hypocrite, but if you truely look at the church today as a whole we have become just that. Laying down the Word for the sake of Political correctness. It's time to wake up to the Truth! Go against the grain of sociaty and be a true Christian.

verse 10"...no one who does not practice righteousness [ who does not conform to God's will in purpose, thought, and action] is of God; neither is anyone who does not love his brother (his fellow believer in Christ)."

Loving your fellow believer is ranked up there with righteousness. That's something to think about. Where is your love walk at with fellow believers? Believers: not the same denomination as you - believers in Christ.

Lots to think upon....my mind is full and I need to just be in the presence of God.

Misty Edwards song Doves Eyes...

I don't want to talk about you
like you are not in the room
I want to look right at you
I want to sing right to you

I believe you are as near
I believe that you move at the sound of my voice
I believe that you are as near
I believe that you move at the sound of my voice

Give me doves eyes
Give me undistracted devotion
For only you
Give me doves eyes
Give me undistracted devotion
For only you

I don't want to talk about you
like you are not in the room
I want to look right at you
I want to sing right to you

MckLinky

Hot of the press....:-)

There’s a great new “linky” service available and I wanted to let you know about it. It’s called MckLinky – www.mcklinky.com. After realizing the need for a new, reliable linky capability, Brent Riggs and MckMama got together to create a free, easy to use linky service for all their blog friends.

MckLinky is a free link list feature that allows you to do include lists of other blog links like MckMama does on Not Me! Monday. You can use MckLinky any time you want your blog readers to leave a list of links on your blog. It’s simple, reliable, free...and loads of MckFun!

Check it out!! I'm going to be using it soon I think.

Cleaning

Okay so this is a totally non spiritual post...well cleanliness is next to Godliness...any how...
I have a bathtub that is a pain in my rear end to clean. It has a textured bottom and I've tried everything I know to get it clean. I cleaned houses for several years and I am out of ides. Soft Scrub with bleach works a bit...with A LOT of elbow grease. Regular bleach soaking didn't do a thing. Grease lightening gives me a headache...so HELP...
Suggestions please!!

Growth

As time is speeding up there is a need to mature in the things of the Lord and also just mature over all. There is no more..I'll do it tomorrow...I have another month...It's NOW.
Now is the time when Christians/Church as a whole need to stand up for what is right and true according to the word. The world is falling apart quickly and the church is suppose to have the answer - Jesus Christ. His return is very soon and we need to repent and live a holy life. With out that how can we expect to show the world the one true living God. There is a great post about Holiness here

What is it that makes us grow in God?

I want to grow so much more in the Lord. To walk out the fullness of what God has for me as His child. To do that takes sacrifice of time but even more so of me. And by saying that I mean that I have to "die" to grow into what God wants me to be. I can no longer be distracted by my agenda but I have to be focused on God's agenda.

Reading and hearing the word of God is very important and really critical to your walk with God. As the word says "Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God". You can't have faith unless you hear Him and you hear Him by reading/listening to the word.

I know that as a mom of 3 little ones it can be hard at times to get that quiet time in. We can all find something else to do during their nap...laundery, cleaning, Facebook, blogging...but in that time we need to make it a priority to get into God's presence. I know for me my time is usually in the evening when they have gone to bed. My dear husband works at night so I have time to myself with the Lord. Other times it is during afternoon nap.

Being faithful in attending a church that speaks forth the truth of God's word is also very important to growth in the Lord. God commands us to not forsake the assembling of ourselves together. Being apart of a church body is vital for your encouragement to get back out into this world and live a Christian life-style. Not being fake or a hypocrite but truly walking it out - - being Christ-like.

So, I challenge you today, to get away into the Word and into His presence and let Him speak to you, change you, up lift you, and love on you. We all need more of Him and less of us. And to be in a church that will help you grow even more.

What Will It Take?

As I have continued to think about faith and what it means, I read again about Thomas in John 20.
Thomas doubted that his brothers had seen Jesus. He did not believe them. He says

"Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it."

He told the fellow deciples that he would not believe that Jesus was alive unless he touched HIM for himself! Now, how many of us can relate to that? We won't believe the WORD (Jesus) unless we have the proof in our hands or have the answer to our prayer first.

Jesus told him "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and YET have believed." (emphasis mine)

John 20:30-31 goes onto say (paraphrasing) that Jesus did many other miracles during His time on earth after resurrection, but what is written is written so that we may BELIEVE in Jesus and have LIFE.

Jesus gave us the proof but yet we often struggle in believing HIM for the very things HE says HE can and WILL do. Myself included. And then I wonder why my situation has not changed or my prayer has not been answered...am a really believing in HIS word? What does it take for us to get to the place where we just have faith and believe?

Time and time again the bible talks about believing or the lack of believing in God. Will you believe Him and take Him at His word? So I know that I'm not the only one in the history of man kind that struggles with this.But He's not a man that He should lie so I should expect what He says to come to past in my life.

Faith does not go by site and comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. We have to have the word with in us...I have to have the Word in me. There is such an urgancy to get to this place of total trust to

Expect

Have

FAITH

with out doubt

and

BELIEVE!

Believe that He will do what He says He's going to do, but even more than that believe that the time is drawing near for Jesus to return. Time is running out....What will it take??

Faith

I've been pondering the story of my sweet Faith. Faith is a testimony of Faith and the goodness of God. She's a blessing beyond belief!

Faith came into our lives October 15th, 2006 a miracle from God. The day I found out I was pregnant only because I had a dream that I was VERY pregnant. I woke up from that dream knowing it was very real. I was home from church that day because Rebekah was sick. So I got up and took a test - POSITIVE. I began to pray for my husband. Rebekah wasn't even 1 yrs old yet! I prayed that God would tell my husband now. And then I prayed over this baby that God had given us as I was bleeding.

That evening after Rebekah was in bed I sat down with my dear husband wanting to tell him. I was smiling at him...and I said I needed to tell you something. He guessed it! And then said that he knew the other day when he put his hand on my stomach! Now if that's not God I don't know what it is!
So we prayed for the baby together because I was bleeding and planned to get into our OB in the morning.

Monday morning...got in to the OB right away. Actually her assistant the nurse practitioner. Told them what was going on and she checked me and said by this much bleeding you are most likely having a miscarriage. They had all of the blood drawn for the tests and told me they would call me and let me know the results and then I would come back in a week and do the tests again to make sure the hcg count was dropping.

I called my pastors and asked for prayer. There were 5 women that prayed that night for this baby. And in that time as I found out later they said that there was such a presence of God that they knew it was taken care of.
My bleeding stopped that evening. Then it came back a little bit over the next few days.

I started researching the hormone levels and what pregnancy test read at was levels. So I bought a test to take on Friday of that week. Wednesday night I went to church and was encourage by a woman who walked through several miscarriages. She said hang on till they say it's no more..you have to believe and hold on to God's word...don't give up.

Friday I took a tests. Negative

Second test - Negative

Crushed...

I said to God...okay it's over...let me grieve and be done with this. I sat before the Lord and wanted to grieve the loss of my child... but I couldn't.....what I saw was telling me it was over, but something in me wouldn't let me grieve and I didn't understand it at that time.

Monday I took the blood test again and the nurse just walked me through what to expect and just encouraged me. She was very sweet.

Tuesday...getting out of the shower and the phone rings. The same nurse I talked to yesterday calls me and wants to know what's been happening this past week. I was confused..she just talked to me yesterday and knew everything, but I tell her anyway.

Then she states "Your counts are through the roof you need to come in right away so we can find out what's going on."

MY HEART BEGAN TO RACE

I couldn't believe it...

My baby was alive...

I called my husband to get there to the office right away. We had an ultrasound...and there she was!!! The doctors couldn't believe it...but I could and testified to what God did to them. It was a miracle!


At that time we obviously didn't know she was a SHE...we were wanting a boy...but God had something else in mind.

Faith - we walk by Faith NOT by SITE! Faith is the the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. Heb. 11:1

God answered the prayers of many and our Faith was born!

There is just something special about our Faith...and I think it's because she knows her name. God knew her before she was in my womb and she knows who she is in Christ. She has a way about her to do things at times that you know it's by the Spirit. She's FAITH and she brings faith to those who need a lift to believe God for what they don't see. Even I needed to be reminded to believe God even when things don't look good.

Have FAITH and BELIEVE!
Photos by: Beanstalk Photography and Focus Photography