Jaded?

    I have not blogged in quite some time.  I really feel, though, that this post was too big for Facebook.  Maybe it is just for me, maybe you have felt this way, too.  Whatever it is, it has been stirring in my heart.

     I think sometimes as humans and many times as Christians, we don't monitor the condition of our heart.  We let fear, bitterness, unforgiveness, and hurt creep in and spread like the nasty black stuff in Spiderman 2. We become Jaded. We start thinking that we are better than others and stop listening to the voice of God. 

     I am reading about David in 1 Samuel right now and God says that David was a man after is own heart. This causes me (and I hope you) to pause and think, " What is God's heart like?" 

David was young when God called him to be King over Israel. He was actually overlooked by the man of God, Samuel, and even his own family. Samuel summoned Jesse and his sons because God was going to anoint one of them as King, but they left David out in the field....with the sheep. Was this a choice Jesse made or did David just want to stay and do his job? I don't know, but it seems like David was just over looked. Samuel approached Eliab because he must have looked like a king, tall, strong and bold.  The Lord, however in 1 Samuel 16:7 tells Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him.  The Lord does not look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart."  Jesse and Samuel go down the line of brothers and the Lord rejects them all...then they finally look for David. Samuel anoints David and David returns to the sheep. 

David was committed and passionate about his job...the title of future king didn't really even seem to phase him.  As a matter of fact, after David was anointed, he started to work for the current king. Never mentioning the anointing, just serving the king with what he had...his lyre, his song. He was in the palace regularly trying to calm the king. 

     When the battle with the Philistines came, David was out in the field again, tending sheep.  His brothers were on the front lines of the battle and terrified of this big giant, Goliath. David comes to bring his brothers some food and check on them and sees the state of the battle and is appalled that this Goliath is defying God. So, David did what any cocky teenager would do, he said he would fight Goliath.  He stepped into battle with 3 smooth stones and a sling shot and his unwavering faith that the Lord was going to give Israel victory over the Philistines. God did give him the victory and Saul doesn't even know David's name (you know, the kid who has played for you in the palace?) 

God puts David in situations over and over that allow David to give God glory.  He prepares him to lead the people into battle spiritually and physically. (for like 15 years, btw)

Back to the heart. David seems to trust the Lord without really worrying what is around him, he loves on people who are trying to kill him and even connects with Saul's family on a very deep level and honors them when he does become king.  He's a pretty uncommon guy. It's really an amazing example of God's heart. David is human, he still has free will and makes mistakes.  We don't see God's heart perfected until we see Jesus. 

     As Christians and ministers we see so much hurt and fear and desolation that it is easy to just roll your eyes and say, "Here we go again." It's also easy to let our heart get hard towards people and put a wall up to "guard our heart." It's easy to let fear and pride control our actions.
David does this in 1 Samuel 27 and decides to run away to the land of the Philistines.  The enemy! Where he lived for a year and four months.  I don't know about you, but have you ever lived in the presence of your enemy for a year and four months?  Sometimes I feel like I have and it makes you lonely, discouraged, and do things you wouldn't normally if your heart was fixed on him.
There is so much to learn from the heart of David. We can learn how to hear from the Lord, how to follow him, but we can also learn how when we let sin and bitterness and fear enter into our hearts we can become jaded and ineffective.  David had every reason to be Jaded, yet he always ended up turning back to the Lord with his whole heart.
What is the state of your heart?  Do you look at your brother and sister and think that you have it so much more together than they, that they don't deserve another chance with God, or another chance to become whole?  If so, you might be jaded. You might need to look at the condition of your heart.
How?
1.  Get into the Word, hear the truth and let it seep down into your heart. One of my favorite verses (and there are actually two in Ezekiel that say pretty much the same thing) is Ezekiel 36:26.  It says, "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh." Even the children of Israel had this problem, but the Lord promises to restore them and make them fruitful again.
2. Worship is vital to tuning our hearts back to the Father. I don't care if you can't carry a tune in a bucket, worship is necessary and puts us in a posture that is not about us. It's about Him. It's always about him. So, tune your heart to sing his praise (grace)!
3. Prayer is direct communication to God. I mean, we are so fortunate to be able to speak freely with the Father with no middle man. When Jesus died and rose again, he gave us a gift in tearing the veil that separated us from the presence of God. He also gave us the Holy Spirit so we can communicate directly!  Wow! What an honor. So, why don't we use it more? Is it because we don't get an audible response? Is it because we don't know how to pray? Prayer is another way to monitor our heart.  Just having that open line with heaven and laying ourselves down before him to have an honest conversation really focuses our hearts back to where they are supposed to be. Repentance is necessary it breeds forgiveness, hope, grace, freedom, and mercy.
    My verse for my team and myself  this year is Psalm 86:11 TPT, "Teach me more about you, how you work and how you move, so that I can walk onward in your truth until everything within me brings honor to your name."   This started this journey of seeking the heart of the Father. Trust me, family, He loves you and wants to show you great and mighty things.  He wants you to be after His heart so you can live in abundance and blessing. He wants your heart to be tuned to Him so you can know what to do in the battle and hard times. I am praying that we can all go a little deeper and tune our hearts back to Him.  Let Him give you a heart of flesh.

He Loves Us

I was able to catch a sweet moment between my dog and my son today.  They were out playing among the wildflowers in the pasture together.  Our puppy (yes that dog is a puppy) is very protective of my children.  She was watching him from a little ways off, making sure he didn't get into something he shouldn't.  It was so sweet.
The whole scenario reminded me of a couple of things.  First of all, those flowers are considered weeds by most adults.  My son was able to see past a nuisance, past the fact that the pasture is full of them and straight to the fact that they are pretty and he wanted some for his mom!  You see, the Lord asks us to be like children for a reason.  We have lived life and experienced things and know things that children don't.  They don't know that the grass won't grow because the weeds are growing instead.  Think about that homeless person you passed at lunch today.  Were they a nuisance, did they not look nice?  The Lord looks at the heart, the most honest and beautiful part of a person.  The part that sustains life and feels emotion.  He wants us to be childlike to be able to see what He sees.
The second thing He showed me was how Kari was protecting  "Little Bit".  I have been in a period of waiting and wondering what the Lord was doing, where the Lord was leading.  I have often wondered how He watches us.  It sometime can feel like he is at a distance and just watching for us to make a move. Other times we wonder if he is even there.  I really see him watching like Kari did.  Not far off, right there watching and engaging in LB's life.  I have no doubt that if he was in trouble, Kari would be there.  Why do I wonder if God would be there?  He is there...every second of the day and He put His body between us and harm.  He gave His life to save us from eternal harm.  I love these moments when He shares how much He loves me!

Grateful Living

Yesterday was Mother's Day and I spent it with my church family and my family.  It was a sweet day that ended with some apple pie from Ernesto's.  I am truly blessed to be a mother.  I don't take my job lightly and I LOVE my kids with all my heart.  I know that the path laid before me prepared me for this journey of motherhood.  My mother is such an awesome example of the person I hope to be for my children.
My mom and I started on a journey together in November of last year.  We had been talking about and meaning to find out about these essential oils for months.  We just hadn't had the time to do it.  My mom had been experiencing some very concerning chest pains for about 8 months.  She spent dollar after dollar trying to find out if it was her heart, her stomach, her colon..etc.  No one could tell her why her chest was hurting. Thousands of dollars later, she still had no answers.  As for me, working in the nursing field, I was becoming more and more concerned about how many antibiotics are really prescribed and how many steroids are just given to make symptoms better.  While I believe there are very real times and places for these things,  we are seriously overusing them.  I wanted something better for my family.
We finally made it to a class and absolutely were sold on these oils.  Maybe they could help us?  We were about to find out.  We have done hours upon hours of research and digging and learning about how these oils work and which ones work for what.  It is absolutely amazing at what these little drops can do.  Peppermint for a headache or stomach ache, Oregano as an antibiotic and antiviral, Thieves for just about anything.  These oils have changed our lives.  I no longer reach for the Tylenol or Ibuprofen when we get a headache.  I reach for my oils.  My children no longer ask for medications when they don't feel good.  Even my 5 year old knows where to go if he has a tummy ache.  They ask for oils.  They want to learn what works and what doesn't.  The Lord has placed these oils in our lives for the better.  He created these amazing plants and barks and flowers for the purpose of healing our bodies.  Why wouldn't I try?  There are so many examples of anointing with oil in the bible.  I can't wait to see how far He takes us on this journey.  If you would like to know more about essential oils, you can visit my website, www.ylscents.com/gratefulliving.  You can also message me to find out about  class.  Find me on facebook at Grateful Living.

Sleepless Nights

Do you ever have those nights where you just can't get comfortable?  Nights where you just have too much going on in your head to focus on sleeping?  I have recently been able to get great sleep with my essential oils, but last night was different.  When I slept, I slept well, but I really think God was wanting me to pray.  I would wake up with restless legs, or hot...I never get hot and something or someone would pop into my mind.  I would pray for them and immediately be able to go back to sleep.  I don't even really remember who or what I prayed for, that's God's job, but intercession is like that sometimes.  Sometimes not knowing what is going on or who needs it is ok.  The Holy Spirit was sent to us by God to intercede for us.  Romans 8:26 says, "And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness.  For example, we don't know what God wants us to pray for.  But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. (NLT)  That helping us in our weakness can also be calling someone else to pray in the middle of the night.  I don't know why God would chose me other than I am willing, and weak myself.  I have no one else to depend on other than Him.  I have some amazing friends that will pray for me when called, so why wouldn't I be available to pray for them when the Lord asks?  I always think of what Jesus asked the disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane, Matthew 26:40 And He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, "So, you men could not keep watch with me for one hour?"  You see, the Lord had to come to these men 3 times and 3 times they fell asleep when he needed them the most.  I can't imagine the guilt that flooded these guys hearts.  The last thing that I remember before going to bed was thinking how unworthy I am of the Father's love.  Then to be asked to pray, to intercede, is such a privilege and a responsibility.  If you wake up in the middle of the night.  Listen.  There may be a reason.  If not, try some Peace and Calming.

Casting Cares

I used to sing this song when I was little.  I sang it all the time, and I meant the words that I sang.  Somewhere along the line, the words didn't mean as much to me anymore. I don't know if they just became wrote, or if all the "stuff" in my life just kind of blocked them out.
I cast all my cares upon You
I lay all of my burdens down at your feet
And anytime I don't know what to do
I will cast all my cares upon you
Wow!  What a simple way for Him to say that he cares for me and will take my cares and burdens and shoulder them for me.  I let the devil gain some ground in letting him tell me that these words were insignificant.  These words are AMAZING!  They come from 1 Peter 5:7 where it says, "Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you."  You can sub "cares, worries, burdens" for anxiety, but anxiety fits for me today.  Like I said, such a simple statement.  It sometimes may seem too simple.  So, all I have to do is let him have it and he will take it over?  Yes, the key is, though, to not take it back.  I don't know about you, but anxiety can be suffocating.  We have people come into the clinic thinking they are having a heart attack and it is just anxiety.  It is not easy to let go when you are in the midst of anxiety.  However, just think of this simple verse and cast it onto the Father and he will take care of you.  One thing I have learned about the Father is that He doesn't just "say" things to say them.  He means these words and He WILL take care of your burdens.  I woke up with this little song in my head and I know that He put it there to remind me.  This was my favorite as a kiddo. Cares Chorus

Renewing Mind

It's been a tough day.  Losing Lucky was pretty hard for me.  I delivered this goat from her mother. I didn't think I would take it this hard.  I found myself starting to lash out last night.  It seemed as though everything was bothering me.  Today, I was just teary and overwhelmed all day long.  As I drove back from getting groceries at the store, the Lord reminded me that I have to be constantly renewing my mind.  I could let that darkness of depression sneak up on me.  I could let it overwhelm my mind and heart, but I don't have the strength to climb out from that pit right now.  What I really need is the Lord to renew my mind and constantly take me from that place of darkness and set me in His light where I can be surrounded and soak in his light.  

Romans 12:2 says Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.  Then you will be able to test and approve what Gods will is--His good, pleasing and perfect will.  Yes, I need to be transformed by the Holy Spirit.  Lord, wash over me!  I need to know your GOOD, PLEASING, and PERFECT will.  

Have you been here?  Are you here?  It takes just a minute to start, just ask the Lord to help you focus on something of him, something good and He will remind you whose you are.  I am a daughter of the King, I am a child of the creator.  Blessings.

Life

Wow, it has been a LONG time since I blogged.  I just don't keep up with it much anymore.  Life gets in the way.  Have you ever said that about anything?  "Life gets in the way."  Wow.  What a statement.  Life, that fragile thing that sustains us.  The thing that is not always fair or easy, but if it is not there....well.  The Bible says a lot about life.  It is always in relationship to the Life we have with Jesus.  Without Him life wouldn't be worth living.  John 1:4 says, "In him was life and that life was the light of all mankind."  How many times do we let loving our 'life' get in the way of letting Life be the light of all mankind.  See, when we let Jesus work through us, life becomes something totally different.  Life becomes light and light SHATTERS darkness.  Read verse 5 in John 1, "The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.  The word always says more than once that if we love our life, we will lose it (Matthew 10:39, Mark 8:35, Matthew 16:25, Luke 9:24, John 12:25).  Meaning if we find our life without Jesus, who shatters darkness and gives us eternal life with Him, we lose.it.all!
It has been a tough day.  We learned of a child who lost his life over the weekend, and we lost an animal to a random accident while we were out of town.  Life is fragile in the fleshly world.  Good thing that Jesus has overcome the world and has overcome death.  I know losing an animal pales in comparison to losing a child.  I cannot imagine what those parents have to deal with now.  It is still painful and you still go through the grieving process.  I rejoice in the fact that I have Jesus to break through the darkness.  I am grateful that the Life HE gives is abundant and full and eternal.  That momma will see her baby again one day.  It will be hard every day until then, but there is Hope.  My heart grieves for her and I pray that she will find the Light in all that darkness.  My life isn't getting in the way anymore.  I am enjoying the life that God gave me with my husband and my kids, my family and friends, and those around me who need to find life with Christ.  So next time those words try to escape your lips.  Remember, life is not a bad thing.  It is where you find your life that is important.  Life with Jesus and the gifts He has given you is always living.  It is not something that just happens to you.  It is something you take hold of and march through the darkness with Christ on your side.