I'm not afraid of the big bad...(Fill in the blank)!

Some of you reading this right now are suffering.
How do I know? Because I believe God has brought you to this place for that very reason.

You might be thinking, "Whoa, how can that be possible?" Well it is because I believe in an Almighty and Powerful God who orchestrates life in such a way that there are no coincidences. And while not every single occurrence in this life is deeply and profoundly meaningful, sometimes God, in His great mercy, leads us exactly where we need to be.

Tonight I'm thinking of "the big bad (fill in the blank)." Currently, it's Enterovirus 68, a respiratory illness sweeping across our nation and infecting young children. Yeah, it's a big bad virus...so big and bad that it has led to paralysis and even death. As a mother of young children reading about it is enough to inject heart pounding pure anxiety into my veins. Really.

What's your big bad....fear...illness...suffering?

Back in 2009, I had the biggest baddest "Big C" scare. Oh, it was more than a scare. It was the real deal. Five years later, I am here and healthy by the grace of God. That word "grace" is no small word to throw around. For God truly was heaping grace upon me. A dear friend even told me in prayer, about sensing God pouring grace upon me. I surely needed it. At the time, I felt betrayed by the God who I loved. How could this have happened to me? Why was He not healing me! Why?

Honestly, I'm not sure why, but I do know that God was faithful to me each moment, and showed me His love for me through others. He showed me I could be strong in Him when I felt weak, and I trust He did miraculous things through my weakness.

The message I have for you is this: DO NOT BE AFRAID. As I will tell my daughters, "God is bigger than the boogeyman"--from a popular kids bible story. Do you believe this? Can you believe this? GOD IS BIGGER THAN THE BIG BAD...whatever you are facing right now! Not only that, but He loves you! How do I know? Jesus took on ALL the BIG BAD EVERYTHINGS and He did it for you. He conquered sin and death and rose victorious so we can be victorious! Yes, you can be victorious!

So what about those big bad everythings? "Fear not, for I have redeemed you, I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior." Isaiah 43: 1-3

A New Song

This morning I have a new song to share with you. In Psalm 33, where I just happened to turn to in my bible, it says, "Sing to him a new song; play skillfully, and shout for joy." All of the songs I have posted were at that time "a new song", songs that spoke deeper than mere words. Like God's word, which is living and active, I have found that God uses worship music to profoundly stir up my faith and fan it into flames.

Wherever you are in your faith journey, I trust that God, who does not make mistakes, led you here for a reason. May you be blessed as you listen.

-Liz

P.S. If you enjoy reading my blog please send me a comment. I would love to hear from you! It helps motivate me to continue writing!

New Beginnings

Today is a momentous day for me. It is the day, I finally finished the journal I started on February 20, 2010. In the past, I could easily fill a journal within about 18 months, but this one was different. The last four years have been rockier with greater periods of struggle and silence, yet, what I would consider, enormous growth and faith. At first, my prayer journal was mostly written prayers. Now my journal is filled with scripture, Words from the Lord, answered prayers, Sermon notes, and lyrics from worship music that God has placed on my heart. My journal is a written evidence of my faith journey and I have referred to it often. Starting a new journal feels like starting a new chapter, and I am hopeful of a new chapter in my life. On that note, I'd love to share with you what I wrote on my first journal entry on February 20, 2010.

"But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love, to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine. We wait in hope for the LORD, he is our help and our shield. In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name. May your unfailing love rest upon us, O LORD, even as we put our hope in you."

May you blessed as you remember that his eyes are on You. My you place your hope in his unfailing love, for He is your help and shield.

-Liz

For I am Yours and You are mine

Tonight as I meditate on Good Friday, I hesitate to think of the gruesome suffering of Jesus. But unlike Hollywood's renditions of violence for the purpose of entertainment, Jesus' suffering was REAL and it was for you and me. One day we will all stand before our Maker. How would you measure up to the holiness of our God? Would you be good enough? I know I would certainly not be good at all, except for the blood of Jesus covering me. So tonight, as I meditate on my Savior, I remember that his gruesome suffering was for me so that I can say, "For I am Yours and You are mine" for eternity. This is love. 

This song "Oceans" has been on my heart for the past week. May you be blessed by the touch of the Holy Spirit as you listen.

God bless-
Liz

It's been a while...

Hello. It's been a while. So much has happened since my last post so let me sum it up. We moved. We just didn't move in the same city or in the same state or time zone, but we MOVED cross country. And by moved I mean an amazing cross country car trip from frigid New York to always sunny California!

Yep. The deferred dream that I alluded to in one of my prior blogs...well...it came true. Rather, God fulfilled it. You see, I had wanted to make this move for the past ten years, and yearned, wrestled, and prayed that I would happen...and it finally did! Hallelujah!

You know that dream you have in your heart? That dreamed locked up in a treasure chest? Well, God sees it! In the bible it says that we have a good heavenly Father who wants to give us good gifts. He's not gonna pull a bait and switch on you, or withhold the things in your heart because you are not good enough or because He can't or won't. He's not like that. He wants the absolute best for you, which sometimes....okay usually... does not make sense.

One "aha moment" in my faith journey occurred when I realized that I actually do not know what is best for me. You heard me right. I do not know what is best for me. At that time I was young-er and struggling to meet the right Mr. to make me a Mrs. And, honestly, after that "aha moment" and I fully submitted to God's will for me, God brought my Mr. into my life.

Submitting to God's will is choosing to believe that He is greater, stronger... all the omni words: omnipotent, omniscient, omni-present...you get the point. Try kneeling before God. There's no better way of reminding yourself that God is God and you are not. He does know best. He is the Great I AM. So, yes, he knows what is best for you.

The question is: will you choose to trust in His love for you and choose to believe that He knows what is best for you? Please don't doubt His love for you! Jesus did it all--He demonstrated His love for you. Dying for you. Yes YOU.

So keep asking, praying, waiting. Will you choose to trust that His love is bigger and broader and stronger than your wildest dreams?

Today is the day

Today Is the day...

    Do you hear His voice calling you?

                He's knocking.

                             And waiting.


He's been waiting for you since the beginning of time. Waiting for you to see Him and recognize that He's always been with you. Even when you felt so alone. Even then. Even now.

              
                                                         The great I AM.

Calling you.

Come.

Take one step.

I'm knocking, don't you hear me?

I want to embrace you.

I want you to know me.

Don't be afraid.

See what I have already done for you.

My hands.

My side.

My life.

For you.

Yes you.

Help! I'm in a rut!

I've been in a bit of a rut lately to be honest. Not feeling much excitement about seeking God's face or spending time listening. Like a stubborn child I moped. I grumbled. I did things half-heartedly. On Sunday we meditated on Proverbs 3:5-6 and I had some serious soul searching to do, searching my heart to see if it was truly open and available to trust in God. You see I, like you, have hopes and dreams in my heart for certain things, things which I have tucked away in a treasure chest in my heart. Is it wrong to have a treasure chest of hopes and dreams? I don't think so, but I'm pretty sure God wants full access to what's inside the treasure chest. Not only that, He wants full access to our hearts. Don't get me wrong. There's nothing wrong with most of your hopes and dreams, but God wants to be #1. He wants to be the -I will sell everything I've got for Him treasure. The I don't care about anything else treasure. The I will be complete when I have Him treasure. He wants to fill our hearts and push out worry, fear, anger, disappointment, and everything else that is not from His kingdom, and make our paths straight! Amen and Hallelujah!

So what's holding you back from giving God your hopes and dreams?