Isaiah 61:1&3 "He has sent me to bind up and heal the brokenhearted...to give them an ornament of beauty instead of ashes."

Happy Friday, blog readers.

It is very... off color... for me to write on a Friday evening. But hey, that's okay. When I feel prompted, I write.

Tonight with a not so light heart after a not so joyful week, I have been hit with a slight conviction.

I have come to a self righteous place in my life. A place where I have come to think I have laid all my burdens at the cross. That I have traded all my ashes in for beauty. That I am not hiding anything, nor am I still trying to hold onto anything. 

Thing is, I realized I was still covered in a lot of ash. Ash that has been covered up for a long time. Covered with new steps. New chapters. New things that have concealed it, only to have it wear off and still be there. Waiting on me. 

Throughout this week the lyrics from "At the foot of the cross" have been playing on repeat in my mind

I trade these ashes in for beauty. I wear forgiveness like a crown. Coming to kiss the feet of mercy. I lay every burden down.

Could not figure out why. Had not heard the song recently, but tonight, it makes sense. 

Scrolling through old pictures, playing the Facebook catch up game and such; and here came the thought "I think I have some buried burdens and hurt." Instantly I felt the Lord say "Bingo!"

I have past hurt from past relationships of all sorts. 
Betrayals. Lies. Bad choices. Pain. Hurt. Anger. Abandonment. 

Open wounds in my heart that I had never taken the time to work through. So much so that the reason I probably stay so busy is so I don't have to sit still. When I sit still those wounds start to seep open again.

For years upon years I have stayed busy to avoid them. To almost in a sense run from them. What has really happened is I have allowed them to grow. Almost laying dormant, gathering more and more and more waiting to explode. Instead of taking time to walk through the healing process, I have totally avoided it. 

Tonight, it's like God is saying "now trade those ashes in for beauty. Lay those burdens down at the foot of the cross, and be healed. Lets walk through those buried places, and let Me heal them. They have been waiting. I have been waiting. " 

I know that I am not the only one walking through a situation like this. The only one who has come to realize that desire to buy new clothes will never cover it. That the new job will never make it go away. That the newest hair style and make up will never make you feel healed. That even getting busy for the Lord will not help it go away.

I know that this may hit a special place in your heart tonight as you read this. I pray that it does, but not in a painful way. I pray that it reaches you in a peaceful way. A healing way. 

It's time for us to walk through old wounds. new wounds. buried burdens and hurt. and be healed.

I have not the slightest idea how God is going to work through those places in my heart (or yours) that need healing, but I know it will be good, and it is long overdue. 

Now, as I trade my ashes in for beauty, I pray that you do the same.


Happy healing.


Isaiah 61:1-3 

The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed and qualified me to preach the Gospel of good tidings to the meek, the poor, and afflicted; He has sent me to bind up and heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the [physical and spiritual] captives and the opening of the prison and of the eyes to those who are bound,

To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord [the year of His favor] [a]and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn,

To grant [consolation and joy] to those who mourn in Zion—to give them an ornament (a garland or diadem) of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, the garment [expressive] of praise instead of a heavy, burdened, and failing spirit—that they may be called oaks of righteousness [lofty, strong, and magnificent, distinguished for uprightness, justice, and right standing with God], the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.


-B

Mark 13:23 (AMP) But look to yourselves and be on your guard, I have told you everything beforehand.

"Technology and communication are very popular in our culture. We communicate every day using cell phones, Twitter, Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram and more. It has become addicting for many of us and it is difficult to try and go any length of time without using some type of communication. It is hard not to pick up our cell phone and send a friend a text, yet few of us take time during the day to speak to God at all." -- DNOW Awake14 Session 2

If we are being honest here, which I always try to be. That quote right there is a big red flashing true statement in some of our lives. 

I've done it. You've done it. We've all done it.

Wake up. Turn alarm off. Check Twitter/Email/Facebook/Instagram and send a "I don't want to wake up" snap chat to somebody. You can tell me its not true, and I will tell you that you are lying. 

I've been there, I've done it. Check out blog posts from the very beginning, I believe I even said that it was the first thing I did in the mornings. Roll over check my notifications. So don't think I am trying to call you out. Y'all, I've been there too. Been on both sides and I am just trying to let you know which side of the fence is greener.

I am sure you have heard it time and time again to have quiet time in the morning. Get into the word. Exchange some words with Jesus before anybody else. And you know what, I firmly believe that some of you do that. BUT not before you get in touch with the world.

By "the world" here I mean that high dollar piece of technology you have glued to your hand. emails, texts, and all the social medias that are at your finger tips. 

I can hear some of you now "well I follow Jesus Calling, or daily bible verse." But hear me out, that still isn't enough.

If you get into the WORD before you get into the WORLD you will be much more on guard for the day.

in Mark 13, Jesus is talking with His disciples about what is to come when He returns. He is telling them what will happen and what they need to be ready for and doing. So verse 23 he tells them to look to yourselves and be on guard [be ready] because He has told them everything beforehand.

That verse in scripture is so applicable to what I am talking about with getting into the word first. 

In Mark 13 Jesus himself is able to talk with the disciples and fill them in on what is to come and what they should do. We don't have that opportunity today to go sit at the feet of Jesus on the Mount of Olives but we have access to His speaking and teachings daily through the Bible. 

If we aren't getting into the Word 1st thing in the morning expecting to meet with Jesus and allowing Him to have undivided attention from us, how can we be on guard throughout the days crazies? The Bible tells us how to handle a multitude of things that occur daily. If we take the time to study and listen to God beforehand [before those things happen] we will be able to be on guard and know what to do when they come about. 

This is a challenge I give to everybody I come in contact with that is looking to revive their walk or just wanting to dig deeper. Get in touch with the Word before you get in touch with the World.

Why?

Promise, if you take time to get up just a little bit earlier and get in touch with The Word first, you will be able to have a heart and mind that processes the days events through God's teachings and mindset. 

selflessness. love. peace. patience. clear mind. steadfastness. righteousness. pure. faithfulness

If you dive head first into the world first thing in the morning, you will have to processes things through the worlds filter.

selfishness. hatred. impatience. frustration. maliciousness. deceit. heartlessness. faithlessness. 

So now is the time for you to choose what you want to do. Which filter you want to process things through. Promise you that the daily crazies will come they are inevitable. No matter what you do they will be part of your day. You just have to make the decision of how you would like to view them and handle them. 

If you are looking through the world's filter, chances are that little wind that ruffles your feathers will turn into a big ole storm quickly. 

Get in The Word first so you can be prepared beforehand, so you can be on guard when that wind comes. 



-B

1 John 3:20 God is greater than our hearts and He knows everything.

God knows everything. 

There is more relief in those three words than I have words for this morning. 

(So much relief that I am probably going to be a little late for school, or have to cut short in the hair curling today; but these words on my heart are too sweet not to share!)

Each day we are faced with decisions, circumstances, and storms that just leave us asking "where do I go from here?" And "what step do you want me to take, God?" 

This morning and really for the past month rather, I have been asking and praying and seeking and searching and praying and praying... And more praying. 

All this week, God has placed little things in my path to help me keep my eyes on HIM and not what I want. 

There are two things I have been praying about that I want to happen, neither of which I will say here (sorry!) and God knew I needed to refocus. I needed to seek HIM not the answer to my prayer requests. 

Reading through different things, this morning from "Made to Crave for Young Women" by Lysa Tereurst and Shaunti Feldhahn I came across this insightful message

"If He is God and we a really are His servants, our lives are truly not our own. We need to relinquish and give up what we so desperately want and tell our Heavenly Father that we are willing to give up every one of our desires to Him so He can fully use our lives for His purposes even if sometimes the path would be quite different than the one we would have chosen." (43)

But isn't God so good that he always pulls through? He always shows up big time. It may not be right at the moment we want, but it's always at the best times.

Love moments where things click and scriptures line up together, and I am attentive to what God is trying to say to me in the moment. 

I just keep thinking 

"O ye of little faith, why are you afraid? (Matt 8:26) Give me your heart and let your eyes observe and delight in my ways." (Prov 23:26)  

God knows everything, but we tend to doubt. We doubt because we search within to find how he will do what he says. They spring up from the depths of our own inferiority (Utmost). 

So at what point, ye of little faith, are you going to take that next step without seeing the net there to catch you? At what point are you going to literally tell God you want Him to truly be in control and actually allow Him to be? 

I know you have some decision to make, even if it's just what you're going to wear for the day, but even in something small, allow God to be in control. And don't let your view of Him be clouded by the way you view yourself and others. 

To use the on point words a sweet friend prayed over me, here are my words of prayer &guidance  for you and myself. 

Take whatever step in your situation that is the one you can take in full faith in God, not yourself. You want to follow His way. May you be faced with God's love in the situation and love Him and others more out of it. 

O ye of little faith, God knows everything. 

-B

2 Timothy 2:13 AMP "If we are faithless [do not believe and are untrue to Him], He remains true (faithful to His Word and His righteous character)"

"but God is faithful [to His word and his compassionate nature] and He [can be trusted] not to let you be tempted and tried and assayed beyond your ability and strength of resistance and power to endure, but with the temptation He will always provide the way out (the means of escape to a landing place) that you may be capable and strong and powerful to bear up under it patiently."

1 Corinthians 10:13 AMP

The parts that stood out to me when I read this, I made bold. 

God is faithful.

He will always provide.

That you may be capable to bear up under it patiently. 

God is faithful. We know that, we believe that, we preach it, we teach it, and it's our anchor in the midst of life's storms. The part we miss in there is what God is faithful to. We put our own agenda and time stamp in things and if they don't work out like we imagined we think God isn't faithful. 

God had a lot of patience with us, but can we always say the same about us with God? 

His word tells us, one if the fruits of the spirit is patience (Gal 5:22) and it says in Hebrews that we need to have patience and endurance so that we may perform and fully accomplish the will of God.

I think often time we expect so much from God but we don't give in return. We expect Him to hear our prayers, be patient with us, and extend His unconditional steadfast love, but we don't always reciprocate. And in turn, we feel like He is not faithful because He has not done what we wanted. It's a result of knowing He is faithful but not knowing what He is faithful for or to because we have neglected our relationship with Him so therefore we don't know Him. 

To cultivate our relationship with God we have to spend time with Him. When we spend time with Him, we learn Him. When we know more about Him we are able to understand His character and nature better. Then ultimately we will know what He is faithful to and how He will always provide, and then we will be capable to bear temptations, storms, trials, and life patiently. 

-B 

Isaiah 64:8 (AMP) Yet, O Lord, You are our Father; we are the clay, andYou our Potter, and we all are the work of Your hand.

Over these past few snow days, I have had lots of time to read think and plan. For my February FCA lesson, all of this extra time came in handy to study. After doing some planning, reading, studying, and writing, I wanted to share my "lesson." I feel like there are some ladies who may come across this, that won't be sitting in my classroom with me at 7:30 am hearing me share these words, and may need the encouraging words. 

The point I have tried to beat into my own head, as well as other sweet ladies that I come in contact with, is what is a woman. I have done studies before, and even written posts before about the topic. So as I prepare in prayer and studying for the next few days, here is the message God has placed on my heart to share. 

Who are we, as women? Are we what the world says, or what The Word says?  

"a force to be reckoned with, a soul on fire with the same life and gifts and passions as any man." 

That quote from an article I read recently I think explains a woman in a unique but accurate way. 

We have a generation of strong women who have been forced to be strong due to the deck of cards we have been handed in life. The society that shaped us into strong women criticize us for the very thing they created us to be. The crazy thing is we allow it. We listen to music that degrades us, we watch movies that belittle us, and read magazines and books that create a fake women. And then we still try and fight the stereotypes. During any of it do we take the time to look to the true truth of what a woman is? When God created woman, it was because after days of creation. Days of making things from the dust, he realized something still wasn't right. Something still wasn't good. So then he made woman. 

He could have crafted her out if the dust also, but he didn't. The woman is the only thing God created in those 6 days that wasn't made from the dust. As a woman we are special. There is more to us than a bra size a pant size or a heel size. Each one of you is a fearfully and wonderfully made daughter of The King. In one final flourish creation came to and end with you. The one thing God did not create from the dust and instead of snapping His fingers, He took time and effort to hands craft and perfect. 

We get so wrapped up in trying to define ourselves that we forget The One who has already done all that for us.

We have been told we are fearfully and wonderfully made, but do we believe it? Do we understand what it truly means that God makes no mistakes? That I am exactly the way I am supposed to be? We keep trying to fight for that position of a godly woman, somebody He loves... But guess what. We don't have to keep fighting for that position, because we are already there! The beautiful thing is that He she'd sweat, tears, and blood so you could be called a daughter of the King. 

You have to come to a point where you stop trying to talk yourself into something, or doing things to make yourself believe and just believe. It doesn't matter what the world says. You are chosen. You are just as good as the rest. 

You are a gift, not a commodity. 

-B