The cause of all the black sheep

Isaiah 53 - (The Message)

Who believes what we've heard and seen?
Who would have thought God's saving power would look like this?

The servant grew up before God—a scrawny seedling,
a scrubby plant in a parched field.
There was nothing attractive about him,
nothing to cause us to take a second look.
He was looked down on and passed over,
a man who suffered, who knew pain firsthand.
One look at him and people turned away.
We looked down on him, thought he was scum.
But the fact is, it was our pains he carried—
our disfigurements, all the things wrong with us.
We thought he brought it on himself,
that God was punishing him for his own failures.
But it was our sins that did that to him,
that ripped and tore and crushed him—our sins!
He took the punishment, and that made us whole.
Through his bruises we get healed.
We're all like sheep who've wandered off and gotten lost.
We've all done our own thing, gone our own way.
And God has piled all our sins, everything we've done wrong,
on him, on him.

He was beaten, he was tortured,
but he didn't say a word.
Like a lamb taken to be slaughtered
and like a sheep being sheared,
he took it all in silence.
Justice miscarried, and he was led off—
and did anyone really know what was happening?
He died without a thought for his own welfare,
beaten bloody for the sins of my people.
They buried him with the wicked,
threw him in a grave with a rich man,
Even though he'd never hurt a soul
or said one word that wasn't true.

Still, it's what God had in mind all along,
to crush him with pain.
The plan was that he give himself as an offering for sin
so that he'd see life come from it—life, life, and more life.
And God's plan will deeply prosper through him.

Out of that terrible travail of soul,
he'll see that it's worth it and be glad he did it.
Through what he experienced, my righteous one, my servant,
will make many "righteous ones,"
as he himself carries the burden of their sins.
Therefore I'll reward him extravagantly—
the best of everything, the highest honors—
Because he looked death in the face and didn't flinch,
because he embraced the company of the lowest.
He took on his own shoulders the sin of the many,
he took up the cause of all the black sheep.

I'm overwhelmed!

"I had heard about you before, but now I have seen you with my own eyes."
Job 42:5

Yes, I am overwhelmed, not by the busyness of life, but by the power of God! Just in the past month, He has done so many incredible things in my life and those around me. Aside from my own physical healing, he has, once again, taken me back, way back to heal a broken relationship that needed mending. Now I have a completely restored friendship with a family I once considered enemies!

I've witnessed God change the hardest of hearts. People that seemed "unfixable", He has completely transformed. I am continuing to see Him do works in me and my immediate family members; miracles ranging from deliverance from addictions for some to just simply drawing others strikingly closer to Him. And, all of these things came about within God's perfect timing. He put these needs right in the faces of myself and others who needed healing. We just had to be willing to receive His awesome grace and mercy and allow Him to change us. Keep in mind that most of these were not events that any of us sought out from God. They seemingly came out of left field. He just orchestrated these circumstances, convicted people's hearts, worked on these puzzle pieces and then, at just the right time, put them into place, all to bring glory to His name.

His name is power and He has proven Himself to be trustworthy and faithful to me, once again!

So, if you are waiting for something to change or someone to change, there is hope. Do not give up! God knows the desires of your heart and He is in control. He can do anything!!

And never forget, He is especially fond of you!!

Luke 1:37
"Nothing is impossible with God."

Overcoming Faith

There must be room in our lives to experience the stages of growth that our faith will go through in order to become overcomers. Untried, untested faith is not overcoming faith, it is baby faith. Babies do not understand the purpose of faith. A measure of faith was not given to you so you could avoid the hard times; faith has been given to get you through the hard times with a testimony of victory. Every time you come out on the right end of a trial, full of faith and forgiveness, you become more like fine gold.

When you hold on to unforgiveness and resentment from past trials in your life, you will find it much more difficult to walk through the trials that will come in your present. It is almost impossible to have a good outlook on walking through hard circumstances today when you have never resolved your feelings towards those who were involved in difficult circumstances that impacted your life yesterday.

Pray this from the words written in Romans 5:3-4:

"Father, your Word says that tribulation and trials can bring about a good thing in me - trials past and trials present. I so want to be free from the influences of past trials and hurts. And I really want out of trials I'm going through right now, so I bind myself to your will and purposes and timing. Until I get out, teach me patience and help me to appreciate the spiritual experience that I need to be an overcomer. If I can't have deliverance from this situation yet, then I'm going to loose everything in my old nature that I can think of to make room for the growth of the fruit of your Spirit. Help me to be patient, help me to be forgiving, help me to have the boldness and courage to do what you've asked me to do. Help me to have the patience I need to become experienced in the ways of your Spirit. You have promised your hope will sustain me while this is being done. Amen."

- Liberty Savard, "Shattering Your Strongholds"

Forgiveness is not an option!!

Matthew 6:14-15 (New Living Translation)

“If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins."

Wow has this verse hit close to home for me this week! Forgiveness is an absolute essential part of our gowth in our own personal relationship with God, our Father! We cannot enter fully into His purpose for our lives if there are still unresolved unforgiveness issues in our hearts. Forgiveness brings total freedom to us. It closes the book on pain from our past.

I love the words of author, Liberty Savard on this:

"Forgiving unconditionally brings an incredible reward, which cannot be acquired any other way. This reward is total freedom from responding to, reacting to, and replaying those old hurts that can still seem so alive sometimes. Forgiveness sucks all the life right out of them."

So, let me encourage you to pray and ask God to reveal to you, any areas of unforgiveness that may still be lingering in your heart. I am so thankful He loves me enough to take me back, way back, to those deep, hidden places of my heart where old hurts still linger. Hurts that I thought I had gotten past. In so doing this, He "scoops" more junk out, resulting in total healing and an even deeper relationship with Him, my Heavenly Father!!

Praise the name of Jesus! There is POWER in the Blood!!

"The Bucket List"

"The Bucket List" is an excellent movie!!

Everyone should see it.

Life is short. Live it on purpose!

Unfailing Love

Valentines Day is all about love, expressing our human love to those closest to us. As much as we would aspire to love perfectly and never fail our loved-ones, we are human. We will fail the ones we love most, and they will fail us.

God is love! Love is something God is, not something He does. Therefore, His love is perfect!! There is no other source of unfailing love. I've been let down in the past by those close to me and it really hurt! But, I've come to realize it is senseless to try to get unfailing love from a human source who is simply uncapable of providing it, who was not even created to provide it. I love these profound thoughts by Beth Moore on "unfailing love":

Though the mountains move and the hills shake, My love will not be removed from you.
Isaiah 54:10

"The Word of God uses the phrase "unfailing love" thirty-two times, and not once is it attributed to humans. Every single use of the phrase refers to God and God alone. Although the love of others can be rich and meaningful, only God's love is unfailing.

He is not only the answer to a thousand needs but a thousand wants. He is our chief desire in all of life. Oh, God, awaken our souls to see - You are what we want, not just what we need. Yes, our life's protection, but also our heart's affection. Yes, our soul's salvation, but also our heart's exhilaration. Unfailing love - a love that will not let us go!

The Shadow of the Almighty

Psalm 91:1-2
"Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. This I declare of the Lord:
He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God, and I am trusting Him."


I've sure been dwelling there today my friends, while suffering from a nasty stomach bug! Thank God I am certain He will take care of me, NO MATTER WHAT hits me!! So reassuring that He cares about every detail of my life.

Praise God!!