Remebering how far God has brought me...Part 2

Hmmmmmmmmmmmm.... I think this is a timely reminder for me! Ms. Nora's MySpace Blog blog.myspace.com/blessedbeyond63 Saturday, May 05, 2007 9:12 AM Judgment and the Love of God Oswald Chambers' "My Utmost For His Highest" May 5th. JUDGMENT ON THE ABYSS OF LOVE "For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God." 1 Peter 4:17 The Christian worker must never forget that salvation is God's thought, not man's; therefore it is an unfathomable abyss. Salvation is the great thought of God, not an experience. Experience is only a gateway by which salvation comes into our conscious life. Never preach the experience; preach the great thought of God behind (the experience). When we preach we are not proclaiming how man can be saved from hell and be made moral and pure; we are conveying good news about God. In the teachings of Jesus Christ the element of judgment is always brought out, it is the sign of God's love. Never sympathize with a soul who finds it difficult to get to God, God is not to blame. It is not for us to find out the reason why it is difficult, but so to present the truth of God that the Spirit of God will show what is wrong. The great sterling test in preaching is that it brings everyone to judgment. The Spirit of God locates each one to himself. If Jesus ever gave us a command He could not enable us to fulfil, He would be a liar; and if we make our inability a barrier to obedience, it means we are telling God there is something He has not taken into account. Every element of self-reliance must be slain by the power of God. Complete weakness and dependence will always be the occasion for the Spirit of God to manifest His power."

Slay everything in me that is not totally and completely submitted to you, remove the rebellious self-reliance still in me and put it to death. Make me a vessel that can be used by YOU! BREAK ME AND POUR ME OUT!

11:31 AM I call HIM a Liar... "For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God:..." 1 Peter 4:17 KJV "... If Jesus ever commanded us to do something that He was unable to equip us to accomplish, He would be a liar. And if we make our own inability a stumbling block or an excuse not to be obedient, it means that we are telling God that there is something which He had not yet taken into account..." Oswald Chambers' My Utmost For His Highest (May 5th) I read this earlier, I blogged about it and then I blindly went on my way... I came back to it because this awful realization hit me right between the eyes, each time I put off doing what He asks of me I call Him a liar... each time I second guess Him I call Him a liar... each time I let my weakness, self reliance, pride, know better attitude, anger, bitterness and fear slow me down or stop me from walking out His will in my life I proclaim to the world I believe my Lord and Savior is a liar... If I believe in Him then I must believe what His Word says and if I believe what His Word says... then why am I not walking in the Victory that is mine and why am I still worried and bogged down by fear of what tomorrow will bring or what others will think if I just got up and did what I know He has called me to... The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? Ps 27:1 KJV

The least of These...

And the King will answer and say to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.' Matt 25:40 NKJV

I was given an opportunity today to live this verse out in a very real way… on my way home from Wal Mart this morning. As I was driving along with Mercy Me blaring Emmanuel God with US in the CD player, an icy bridge caused a young Hispanic couple and their daughter to slide off into a very deep ditch seconds before I came upon them. Thank God they were unharmed and were able to climb from the car back to the road. I offered them a ride home and although it was several miles out of my way I enjoyed the time having a conversation with the wife, even if it was in somewhat broken English. We never shared names… I shared that even though I was of Hispanic descent I cannot speak Spanish; she explained that her English was still not so good… but we communicated anyway, woman to woman… mother to mother. It was a simple ride home for a couple of strangers, but it gave me such joy in my spirit as we rode down that winding road to their house. After I left them at their house and was on my way back home…. I felt this overwhelming feeling of gratitude…. for the awesome Grace that God gave me when HE picked me up on the side of the road of life after I had slid into a very deep ditch of sin. While this couple were what many would consider “least of these”… I realized so very clearly what God gave up His Son for…. this “least of these” called me. Let us never forget what Christmas is really about… God’s great gift of His Son Emmanuel God with us for the least of these, us!

Remebering how far God has brought me...Part 1

I was reading an old blog from 2006 and I can honestly say I think it was pretty good... and I can honestly say how far I feel at times from that person! FATHER GOD is working daily on this "work" in process! LOL I am going to share from time to time some of my older (and I hope helpful) blogs from another site so that I may have all my crazy thoughts and ponderings in one place and also to give a brief glimpse into a life that is being transformed on a daily basis by CHRIST! Ms. Nora's MySpace Blog blog.myspace.com/blessedbeyond63 June 23, 2006 - Friday The Value of Godly Sorrow True godly sorrow is something that we try to avoid at all cost yet for us to be used by God we must walk thru it. We are forgiven because of Christ's shed blood on the cross but there are always consequences to our sin that may show up years later and in the most unexpected ways and for the most unexpected or unknown to us sin. God choose to show me one of those sins today and allow me to walk thru the pain and grieve so that he could finally use me for what he called me to do... help others carry their burdens...because the sin was failing to help someone else carry their burden! A person who suffers from addiction, emotional, and physical problems... A most miserable unsaved man who needs Christ so badly in his life, my ex-husband. I was reading and praying earlier today and for some reason my ex-husband was on my mind and then very gently God explained to me that I had sin in this area I had not dealt with thus far... OH the grief that welled up in me for a man that treated me so badly, walked away, and left me to deal with issues I could not deal with... Who has not looked back or cared for one minute how bad it was for me and yet I am grieved at my failure to be a good Christian wife to a man who made my life a living hell! So why do I care you ask; hey he got what he deserved right? Well... God cares... and you should be glad... and I am glad HE cares... see just as my ex does not deserve my grief or sorrow over how I failed him, because of his many grievous sins he committed against me... none the less I feel hurt, shame and pain because of it and extend from my heart forgiveness and prayers of happiness and peace for him... Just as Jesus did for us! HE gave his life for a bunch of evil minded sinful careless people and he cried for us and he called to us even while we were in our sin and he waited for us to come to him and submit our hearts to him and then instead of punishing us for what we did he gave us peace and love and happiness and forgot what we did... no strings attached! We must be willing to do the same if we want to be Christ like and be of any use to him... I am now remarried to a man who loves me in the way that Christ loves us... I am treated with the utmost respect and care... the very things I denied my ex-husband... "because he did not deserve it"... yet what have I done to deserve to be treated in such a way? Just as Christ loves me, so does the man that HE has given to watch over me... who will continue to love me no matter what I might do just as Christ does... just as we should all those who have come into our life and we failed or they failed us or both. My ex-husband is just that my ex, but he is also a child who God longs to wrap his arms around and love... and I failed to show him Christ in many ways... I could be one of the excuses he uses to not accept God... God can and will send someone else to try and reach my ex-husband and will continue to do so, as HE wishes for no one to perish... the other good news is that although I failed most miserably, our Father in heaven forgave me the second I asked him to and believe me I asked and when I stand before FATHER GOD at the judgment seat... Christ will be there to defend me and say... Father she is one of mine for one reason only... the BLOOD of Christ! My prayer is that from this day forward I may be as my Savior, loving people the way he loves, treating people the way he treats them, and forgiving people the way he forgives... unto death if need be!

Hives & Blessings

I am sure for most hives and blessings don’t necessary go together (for those that don't know they itch, they burn and they are ugly red patches on your skin... eyelids really hurt with hives on them!), and until yesterday I would have agreed. Yesterday I had a major allergic reaction to some facial moisturizer and had to be treated at the ER… shots and all that not so nice stuff! I have hives all over my face and it is not a pretty site… thank GOD they at least don’t itch anymore! I was saddened that I missed what I hear was a HOUSE ROCKIN good time at church yesterday morning and I missed seeing someone who is dear to me who attended for the first time in a long time. Needless to say I was feeling a little sorry for myself that I had been cheated out of the good time that morning and I was even more upset that I probably would not be able to attend a little get together at a place that ministers to women who are trying to put their lives back together after addiction and jail. I mean really…. I thought nobody wants to see this face all messed up and I would probably scare someone. But that still small voice in my heart started speaking… “nora the enemy didn’t rise up to steal a blessing from you this morning as you thought… the blessing I have for you is at that house with those women who have scars inside that are way more scary than your face. They won’t care if you don’t.” WOW you talk about conviction with a capital C! I freely admit how ashamed I was in that moment… I was so wrapped in me! I went, hives and all… and oh how blessed I felt meeting these beautiful daughters of FATHER GOD! Their courage to step up and be accountable, their willingness to expose their hearts and scares so that they can get well and be the mothers and women GOD always intended them to be! The very presence of GOD filled the house as we got to hear a small part of a testimony from one of the ladies! We came to be blessings and instead we were blessed! Several ladies from our church did a prayer walk around the house…and GOD blessed me in ways I still can’t articulate! It completely blows my mind that HE shares these things with me and others…. It totally messes me up that not only does HE share it with us… HE invites us to participate with HIM and be HIS hands and feet here! MY GOD how humbled I am before YOU! Forgive me FATHER GOD that it took some itchy, burning patches on my vain face to see YOU at work! There is a song by Brandon Heath that so speaks to my heart... Give Me Your Eyes Brandon Heath & Jason Ingram I love the chorus... ..."Give me your eyes for just one second Give me your eyes so I can see Everything that I keep missing Give me your love for humanity Give me your arms for the broken hearted The ones that are far beyond my reach Give me you heart for the ones forgotten Give me your eyes so I can see Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah" Yeah, FATHER give me YOUR eyes... Yeah!

House Cleaning for 2009 has started... in me!

I have been on what feels like a roller coaster of emotions as issues and a horrible state of mind have taken over my life.. and some days in the last few weeks I have felt as if a I was a toddler in the Kingdom throwing a fit cause I wasn't getting it my way. What just came back to my remembrance is something I prayed recently in a prayer gathering I am blessed to be a part of in my community. It wasn't a BIG thing at the time I thought... I prayed what was on my heart and the theme was...
House cleaning... start with "us" the church / the body... yeah you know all those other folks who need it!
Then today for the first time it hit me... HE is doing just that, a little house cleaning, HE started with me AGAIN! I mean really just once can I pray a prayer and HE start with someone else first! LOL!
OH yes this self proclaimed "prayer" needs plenty of dusting and serious scrubbing... my vain little mind will run a muck without regular doses of the Word and that renewing of this beady little mind... in my case sometimes minute by minute. I would love to report I am so "spiritual" it just comes natural...NOT! What comes natural in me is to revert to old patterns and ways when I am under stress or being emotionally battered by the enemy. Then sister super spiritual in MY MIND, kicks in and says... "oh nora you can't feel this or that, you are suppose to know better" and then the battle begins in earnest for my mind, will and emotions... Then I get tired of fighting the good fight, weary of well doing and wonder if I will ever get it right... cause you know it is all about getting it right!

Then that still small voice... reminds me.... "nora... it ain't about you getting it right, Jesus already did that. All you need to do is believe in it, walk in and on the days you fail, come to ME and MY mercy, love, & strength will deal with it and help you to continue on in this walk! Sigh... I so understand some days the war that Paul speaks about in Romans...

Rom 7:19-25 NASU
19 For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want.

20 But if I am doing the very thing I do not want, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me.

21 I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good.

22 For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man,

23 but I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members.

24 Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death?

25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh the law of sin.

THIS IS WHERE MY PROBLEM BEGINS... I STOP RIGHT HERE AND WALK AROUND GOING WOE IS ME MY FLESH IS WEAK I AM NEVER GOING TO BE THE EXAMPLE I NEED TO BE, but the rest of the story is right here

Rom 8:9-10 NASU

1 Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.

3 For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh,

4 so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

5 For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.

6 For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace,

7 because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so,

8 and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

9 However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.

10 If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness.

So if I am no longer in the flesh because Christ is in me then it REALLY is time I truly believe it, live it and walk it out. I want to teach others to know who they are in Christ, I want to see the captives, young and old, set free because I so intimately understand the many bondage's satan uses against people and the unnecessary pain and suffering we endure often at our own hand.

Housecleaning started with me SO BE IT... teach me YOUR ways LORD... so that I may be the RIGHT example of YOU... simply a reflection of CHRIST!

Remembering what I know I heard...

Ps 37:25

Speedy Answer...

Opened my email first thing this morning... found the daily reading at the end of a new devotional I just signed up for this week LOL!

“You pushed me violently so that I was falling, But the LORD helped me. The LORD is my strength and song, And He has become my salvation. The sound of joyful shouting and salvation is in the tents of the righteous; The right hand of the LORD does valiantly. The right hand of the LORD is exalted; The right hand of the LORD does valiantly. I will not die, but live, And tell of the works of the LORD. The LORD has disciplined me severely, But He has not given me over to death. Open to me the gates of righteousness; I shall enter through them, I shall give thanks to the LORD. This is the gate of the LORD; The righteous will enter through it. I shall give thanks to You, for You have answered me, And You have become my salvation. The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief corner stone. This is the LORD'S doing; It is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day which the LORD has made; Let us rejoice and be glad in it. O LORD, do save, we beseech You; O LORD, we beseech You, do send prosperity! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the LORD; We have blessed you from the house of the LORD. The LORD is God, and He has given us light; Bind the festival sacrifice with cords to the horns of the altar. You are my God, and I give thanks to You; You are my God, I extol You. Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; For His lovingkindness is everlasting.”
Ps 118:13-29 NASU

Oh that I knew...

I am in a funny place, no I am in an uncomfortable place. Are the circumstances in my life not changing because I lack faith or is it for reasons I can't see or understand. I am weary of well doing, declaring and standing on the promises .... all those things we as believers are taught to believe & do. I have been standing for more than a minute or two and yet things seem to be getting worse and not better... my finances are in a mess, that happens when more is going out than coming in. My home is under attack on several fronts it feels like on some days and to be honest I feel like just running away. But my spirit cries out that I am to wait.... the night will not last forever. I know my God can and will deliver me from all that oppresses me and my house at the moment. But in the mean time where do I voice my discontent and concern... am I speaking without faith if I say I am tired of this turmoil and pain? A dear and wonderful friend says we must speak from Victory... I agree! But what do we do with the pain and the doubt that all of us feel at times... we are all human and we have human emotions.... is God displeased with us if we are just honest about where we are and it isn't from victory we are speaking from or is HE displeased with the dishonesty of us saying / declaring all the "right" things with our mouth but our heart is saying other things when no one is listening... do we do others in the body of Christ a disservice when we aren't honest that even us "warriors' of faith have moments of discouragement and weariness... where is the line between faith and failure and who decides? I know that I know this season in my life is temporary, everything not of God is temporary... but the feelings and emotions are real in this moment! My Prayer today Father I give it all to You... I would ask for a quick and speedy answer, but never the less I will still be here tomorrow and the next day crying out from this dark place for even in my doubt and lack I know that nothing compares to YOU! In Jesus Name Amen

"Oh that I knew where I might find Him, That I might come to His seat!" Job 23:3

The Beginning...

I am a blogger in hiding who has finally decided to share all the wonderful & crazy thoughts about me and my walk with God, that I call my life! My biggest hope is that at the end of the day if one person reads this blog and develops a desire to know my LORD and SAVIOR JESUS then I have accomplished the most important thing in my life! Please fasten your seat belts or straight jackets... Both may be required if you hang around here to much! LOL!