LOOKS CAN BE DECEIVING

A while back, I was talking to a casual acquaintance who just so happens to read the 'notes' that I write.  She has 'known' me for several years and said, "I never would have guessed that you had all of the problems you say that you had.  You always looked so happy, like you had it all together, like you didnt have a care in the world."  I had to laugh when she said those words to me. 

Little did she know........

My life was a complete and total mess.  I hid behind my laugh, smiled to keep from crying and talked excessively to keep myself from just screaming out loud.  There were days when I would stop my vehicle out in the country, get out and literally scream at the top of my lungs.......you can ask my mother, this is true!  I did anything that would make me feel better.  Physically, I looked pretty much the same as I do now, other than the fact that I have actually gained a few pounds.  On the inside, I was quite hideous.  It was the condition of my heart which made me ugly to the bone. 

The human heart is naturally selfish, self-centered and above all self-protective.  In fact, the Bible tells us that ALL sin starts in the heart.  Jeremiah 17:9 tells us that "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked."  Matthew 6:21 goes on to say, "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." 

Even though I might physically look the same, my heart has been undergoing transformation.  I am still not perfect and will never be.  Through the grace of God I am a work in progress.  By reading, absorbing and doing His word to the best of my abilities, the stains on my heart are slowly fading away.  And for that, I am grateful this morning. 

ENJOYING THE BREEZE

I was finally able to sit outside and enjoy a beautiful morning.  It has been a terribly hot summer here in Louisiana and the act of sitting outside has been unthinkable for the past few months.  This morning has been a totally different story.  The sun is shining and a cool, gentle breeze is continuously blowing.  It was such a blessing just to sit there and feel the breeze.  It is that breeze which has put a message in my heart this morning. 

Before I honestly came to know Jesus,  my life resembled  a closed up room.  A room which had accumulated thick dust, a distinctive scent and a dry, dark, heavy feeling of oppression.  Nothing moved and nothing changed.  Day in, day out.......One day was just like all of the rest.  I had become quite content to sit in filth.  I thought it was normal.  None of my friends has a problem with it.....and neither did I!

One day, the door to my filthy room was thrown open.  You could say I was blinded by the light!  I was forced to acknowledge the thick particles of dust which really did linger in the air.  This sudden beam of light was torture to my eyes, but I couldnt help but to step out of that room and actually experience a decent breath of fresh air.  I was amazed at how good it felt to feel the sunlight on my face and to feel the breeze which touched my skin!  Needless to say, I realized once and for all that I had enough of that oppressive, depressive and stifling room.

And here I sit today.....I love my God!  I am so grateful for the way He speaks to my soul.  I encourage anyone reading this to step out into the sunlight.....to feel His breeze.....to enjoy the freshness that only comes to us through knowing Him as the Lord and Savior of your life!

John 3:8  The wind blows where it wishes, and you will hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from or where it goes.  So is every one who is born of the spirit

BE QUICK TO SAY I LOVE YOU

As we go about our daily lives, nothing is certain.  At any given time, life as we know it is subject to change.  What is routine and ordinary one moment can become both horrific and destructive the next.  I write this with a heavy heart this morning.  My thoughts and my prayers are going out to a family here in town whose lives changed forever yesterday evening.  My words arent coming out very easily, but my prayers for this family surely are.  Its hard for me to even imagine what these people are going through. Sudden and unexpected tragedy has never actually knocked upon my door in such a manner.  However, the point I am about to make is one that we all need to remember and practice at any and all times. 

Each day is a gift.  Every moment should be treasured.  No one is promised tomorrow and our next breath is not guaranteed.  We all need to love while we can, treasure the people in our lives and make sure they know how very much they are appreciated.  Life is too short.  We never know when someone might become a memory.

Be quick to say I LOVE YOU....take time to laugh and smile....forgive and move forward....encourage each other in every possible way.  Let those close to you know that you love them, let there be no doubt in their minds.  Dont end up full of regret. 

I made my point, said what I needed to say.  Yes, this 'note' has personal meaning to me.  I hope that a certain someone reads these words...................

Life is too short.....

James 4:14  Whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow.  For what is your life?  It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away

A CHALLENGE TO YOU TODAY

Once again, no matter who you are, no matter where you live, I feel quite sure that you will be able to identify, in one way or another with the words I type today.  You all know a 'loser'.  You all know a 'liar'.  You all know a 'thief', a 'drug addict', a 'jailbird', a 'common criminal', a person who 'threw it all away',  a guy 'who never stood a chance'  and a woman who 'will never change.'  If you think about it long enough, I also feel quite sure that a face will come to mind when you think of each "type' of person I just mentioned.

  I would like to issue a challenge to anyone reading my words this morning.  As a face comes to mind for each type of person I mentioned, please PRAY for that person today.  I mean, really PRAY......By doing this, you will be doing the will of God, you will be obedient to the commands of Jesus, you will be walking in an act of true and perfect brotherly love.......And thats what it is all about!!!!!

If you dont already know, I was one of those people.  In fact, I was several of them......The only thing that stopped my from being ALL of them was the fact that I was born a female and the fact that my parents did the best they could to raise me!  I am here today to tell you that there is ALWAYS a chance! 

I thank GOD today that I had people in my life who never gave up on me.  I thank GOD for hearing and honoring the prayers that were sent up.  I thank GOD for opening my eyes and allowing me to see that there was more to life than what I chose to settle for.  I thank GOD for His forgiveness, His grace, His mercy and His love.  Without ANY and ALL of this, who knows where I would be today........

I cant help but tell others about the saving grace of Jesus.  I feel compelled to encourage others who may have been a wretch like me!  There is a better way, no matter how bad a situation might seen.  Please join me in prayer today.  In the Book of Acts, Paul was struck down on the road to Damascus and SCALES were removed from his eyes.  In our lives today, the same kind of people still exist.  They are the people who are hurting, the ones who are lost, the ones who just need someone to care and to honestly pray for them.  Lets join together in prayer that God removes the scales from many eyes today! 

God is no respector of persons, if it worked for me, it can and it will surely work for countless others as well!

A PEP TALK

Are you tired of being stressed out?  Are you faced with problems, troubles, heartaches and difficulties?  Do you feel whipped, beaten or smothered by life's circumstances? 

Are you ready to get rid of all of the above once and for all?????

Today, I wanna give a little pep talk.  I wanna be a cheerleader for God!  In two seperate instances today, God came through and answered some really big prayers which were highly important to me.  I wanna let you in on a little secret as to how these prayers got answered......and the best part is.................anyone can do it!!!!!

We gotta claim our victories before the outcome is even revealed....We gotta thank God in advance for our future blessings.....We must rejoice at ALL TIMES and PRAISE our way through any and ALL TROUBLES...We must speak to God and tell Him exactly what we need from Him...We must declare our position as a child of the utmost royalty!!!!  By praising God through the storms of our lives, it brimgs us closer into His presence.  It confuses the devil and breaks his dirty little grip over any and ALL situations.  When we declare our victories, we show God that we TRUST HIM and that we BELIEVE HIS PROMISES!

Paul wrote the Book of Philippians.  It is one of the smallest books in the Bible, with just over 100 verses, but it carries such a powerful message.  In the entire Book, the word sin is not even mentioned once.  The theme of Philippians centers around the concepts of JOY, REJOICING and GLADNESS.  It is also important to mention that Paul wrote this powerful book while he was a prisoner in Rome while awaiting trial.  How's that for praising through a storm?

Philippians 4 is an awesome chapter of the Bible.  It centers around "The Power of Christ."  It tells us stand fast in the Lord (4:1) and to REJOICE in the Lord always (4:4).  We are reminded to be anxious for nothing, but through prayer and thanksgiving to let our requests be made known to God.  It tells us to meditate on what is pure, lovely and praiseworthy (4:8).  It goes on to declare, "I can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens me (4:13).  Towards the end of the chapter, we are told that God shall supply ALL our needs according to His riches in glory by Jesus Christ (4:19).

If ALL these things worked for Paul, they will work for me, for you and for us all! 
If you dont believe me, TRY IT!

AN ENORMOUS DEBT

Imagine for a moment that you opened your mailbox today and that you received a huge, unbelievably enormous bill for something you have never even purchased.  I am not talking about a $5 or even $10,000 dollar bill, I am refering to a debt of ridiculous proportion!  Would you call someone and complain?  Would you protest it on CNN?  Would you for even one moment consider accepting the debt as your own?  Would you even think about trying to pay for something so outlandish?  Jesus did..................

In the Old Testament, many rituals and sacrifices involved the bloodshed of a pure, unblemished lamb.  In fact, God verbally instructed Moses as to what the Isrealites must do in order to avoid the plague of the death of the firstborn (Exodus 12:23).  God told Moses that by applying the blood to the doorposts, that He would bypass their homes and destruction would be avoided.  The Isrealites were told to APPLY THE BLOOD!

However, in the New Testament, God choses His only begotten son, Jesus Christ, to become the new living sacrifice!  He who knew no sin became sin for us all.  By the shedding of His precious blood, Jesus paid the ultimate debt that he did not owe because we owed a debt that we could not possibly pay!  His skin was whipped off by scourging, His beard was torn out of His cheeks, His head was pierced by thorns, His face became unrecognizable and spikes were driven through both His hands and His feet!!!  And through it all, He never once complained, He never once protested.  He accepted the brutality because of His unconditional love for us all!  As the last drops of His life's blood drained out of Him, Jesus cried out, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do" (Luke 23:34).  With His last breath, He cried out, "It is finished" (John 19:30). 

God allowed His precious son to go through this agony so that we might live.  We are blood bought (Acts:20:28), justified (Romans 5:9) and redeemed (Colossians 1:14).  The blood of Jesus washed away our sins (Revelation 1:5).  He shed His blood so that we, who fight spiritual, mental and physical battles, can cry out on the blood of Jesus for victory.  His blood set us free from the hold which sin holds over us.  It sets us free from ALL that leads to death.

And for THAT, I give Him glory, honor and praise this morning!

1 John 1:7  But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin

LORD, LET ME BE CONTENT

My family and I went to the camp this weekend, and of course we brought our three year old Pomeranian named Diva with us.  Her name fits her perfectly, we have really spoiled her ever since the day we got her when she was six weeks old.  Well, this morning, the Lord used Diva to deliver a message to me.  He really speaks to us in so many ways, if only we listen........

On a typical morning, my mom cooks breakfast for my dad.  She always cooks an extra slice of bacon for Diva.  Diva has come to expect it and waits for her bacon every morning.  Well, my mom didnt cook a big breakfast this morning and she tried to break up a slice of ham to feed Diva instead.   Diva wasnt having it.  She would sniff at the ham, walk away, look around and would go back to it and sniff again.....repeatedly.  My mom had to end up throwing it away.  As I sat there and watched this happen, I knew what I would write about once I came home today.

So often, we become spoiled to certain things in life and demand only the best or constantly want more, more, more.  We fail to realize how fortunate we are due to our own selfish behavior.  For many years, I was never satisfied by anything.  I always looked for whatever I considered to be better.  If I had something, even if it was something I didnt need, I wanted more!  I wanted to go, go, go, do, do, do and receive, receive, receive.  I honestly didnt care about what the next person wanted or needed, I was on a mission of self gratification.  It wasnt until my selfish behavior caused me to end up alone and with nothing that I realized what truly mattered in life!

I know that I constantly write about the forgiveness, the grace, the mercy and the love of God, but if it wasnt for all of these things, I have no idea where I would be today.  It is only through the compassion of God that I am able to share these words.  These days, I am learning how to be content with what I do have (Philippians 4:11).  I have learned to appreciate everything that the Lord so graciously given to me.   When I stop and look around at others, it doesnt take long for me to realize the great extent of my blessings! 

Lord, let me be content, no matter what might happen to me on this day.  Let me share your love with others, with no great expectations of personal gain.  I thank you for everything you have given me and I appreciate the promises of your Word!  And Lord, thank you for using Diva as a means of speaking to me today.