Tuesday, November 4, 2014

"Been Through" vs "Experienced"

Is it something you've been through or something you experienced?

Everyone has a story to tell. Some people are not as forthcoming as others with their story but we all have several life lessons of hurts, triumphs, joys and comical accounts that have happened to us. Some situations are more difficult than others and are often referred to as storms. I will use this term for my example.

The storm that comes to mind is a tornado. Tornadoes cause massive amounts of destruction. Buildings are severely damaged, if not completely destroyed, cars are flipped over, possible flooding occurs and oftentimes people lose their lives. Storms cause things to be in disarray. It's what you do after and maybe even during the storm that determines if it's an experience or what you’ve been through.

You have “been through”, if after the storm, you began cleaning up the mess and seek Help with the things that are too heavy for you to handle on your own. The pain and other negative emotions are given to the Restorer and you receive peace, joy and healing. The damaged parts of you are reconstructed. Newness comes about. All of that old debris is hauled off so life after the storm can begin NEW and FREE of the junk. The old is dead and gone. The ultimate cleaning crew has come through your town and city sparkles in GOODNESS. When you've been through something, it literally means you've been through (though not grammatically correct) with the situation – been through with the anger, hurt, and all negativity associated with it. When you’ve been through a situation, it doesn’t mean you‘ve forgotten what happened but instead you have moved on. You’ve gone through, to the other side of the situation, strengthen and wiser.

“Experiencing” a storm has a different outcome. After the storm is gone, the debris is still there. The storm is over but emotionally, you’re still in it. You cannot get past the fact that the storm happened. You still have the trash of what happened. It may appear to be too much mess to deal with so you do not know where to begin. The mess just sits there. Eventually, it is pushed to the side or piled up in an area out of sight so other things can come in. But it was never dealt with. Growing weeds and possible now with a smell; festering. Small things remind you of what happened and trigger ugly memories. You can no longer pretend to not notice it so you become upset that its still there. That no one removed it. That no one helped. You are resentful that you have this mess, thinking you have to do it all by yourself. SPOILER ALERT: YOU DON’T HAVE TO CLEAN THE MESS ALONE.

It all comes down to your faith. Do you TRULY believe you can be healed? Do you want to let the mess go and move on? Can you clean up the ‘town’ and build an even better one with an even stronger history. Allow God to help you. He knows us like no one else. It is not okay what happened to you and HE knows. It is also not okay to continue to hold on to it. It is unhealthy and distracting you from greater. God loves us. We cannot comprehend the depths of God’s love with our human minds but it is very real and waiting to be received. We are told in His word to put our cares on Him for He cares for us. All who are weary and heavy laden should go to JESUS and He WILL give you rest. His yoke is easy and His burden is light. It may seem too much to believe right now but ask God to help your unbelief and reach for HIM! The AUTHOR and FINISHER of our faith. The GREAT I AM. THERE IS NOTHING IS TOO HARD FOR GOD. NOTHING. And there’s great news for those currently in a storm. Make your way to the EYE of the storm. There is calmness and peace in the EYE. This EYE is watchful and keeps us in perfect peace if we abide HIM.

There are reports of individuals who were caught in the eye of a tornado. They report the calmness of the eye and how bright it was in the eye. The brightness allowed them to see all of what was going on and being swept up around them. But nothing, by any means harmed them :)

A couple story of the individuals in the eye of a tornado: http://science.howstuffworks.com/nature/natural-disasters/eye-of-tornado1.htm

Thursday, September 11, 2014

DEATH IN THE "BOOK OF LIFE" ?!

Recently, I was watching a movie with my baby girl. Unfortunate for me, the DVD remote was lost so I could not fast forward through the seemingly ba-gillion movie trailers that were playing. While glancing here and there at them, one trailer in particular struck me. The movie is entitled “Book of Life" and it will be in theaters just in time for Halloween. The trailer begins with a woman, explaining to a group of young girls that the greatest story in the "book of life” is on the Day of the Dead. FYI, Day of the Dead is a Mexican holiday that celebrates well...the dead. The "Book of Life" movie takes place in Mexico. Anyway, she says "on the Day of the Dead, spirits pass between worlds and ANYTHING can happen." REALLY?!?!

In ACTUALITY, THE Book of Life is where God writes the names of all who will be in with Him in Heaven. Revelation 20:15 . Those written in THE Book of Life will enter into Heaven because they have been redeemed by the blood of Jesus. Revelation 13:8, 21:27. .. The trailer then goes on to explain the purpose of the movie.

Characters La Muerte and Xibalba are both spirits. La Muerte (gal) is Spanish for "death". Xibalba (guy) roughly means "place of fear". Both spirits are viewing those that are in the land of the living. They focus in on this one love triangle. It is made up of two best friends who are in love with the same woman. Of course this leaves room for the enemy to come in. La Muerte and Xibalba place a bet on which guy the woman would marry between the two men. One of the guys in the love triangle, Manola, is killed by the spirit Xibalba, because character Maria, fell in love with him. Xibalba, voted on the other guy to be her beau, Joaquin .

Manolo's death is due to a snake bite… of course He then goes to the place where La Muerte and Xibalba are. The movie calls it “Land of the Remembered", which to me, looks like a place for the dead. He is told that he has to go through 3 different worlds to return to his love, Maria.

The movie depicts the "land of the remembered" as a beautiful place, full of fun and laughter. Oh and the people there just happen to be dead. It is decorated to sway anyone watching (presumably children) to desire this place.....deception at its worst. The movie basically paints the picture of having so much fun after you die. It's a magical place where you can eat as much as you want. Not only that, but you can actually go through these three different worlds and one day, return to your loved ones.

UGH NO. The Word of God CLEARLY states that this world will pass away and you will either go to heaven or hell for all eternity. Where you go is based on believing in and following Jesus Christ. John 3:16 There is no coming back, unless God has that plan specifically for you. It is not an option for everyone.

For some parents, this may not be a big deal at all. As for my household, my children will not being watching such a movie. I wrote this to inform other parents, like my husband and I, that strive to guard the eyes and ears of their children as much as possible. Live godly and you will see a beautiful place after this life called HEAVEN. The only spirit that should be trusted is the Holy one. If not, there is another place called hell which isn’t fun AT ALL. Revelation 21:8, Matthew 25:46

Be blessed and remember to watch as well as pray!

Sources: Bible; The Book of Life (2014 film) on Wikipedia; google of La Muerte and Xibalba; The Book of Life Official Trailer (2014) on YouTube http://youtu.be/NBw5YScs8iQ

Friday, July 4, 2014

ALL BEAUTY


**and to know this love that surpasses knowledge--that you may be filled to the measure of ALL the fullness of God.
Ephesians 3:19

**Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every (ALL) spiritual blessing in Christ.
Ephesians 1:3

**And we know that in ALL things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to his purpose.
Romans 8:28

** for ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
Romans 3:23

**Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, ALL things are become new.
2 Corinthians 5:17

**ALL Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.
2 Timothy 3:16

**And Jesus said to him, " 'If You can?' ALL things are possible to him who believes."
Mark 9:23

**Every (ALL) good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.
James 1:17

** Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than ALL we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us,
Ephesians 3:20



BEAUTY…as defined by God
Who of course created beauty and all there is
He made all creation and said "it is good" so...
Who are we to argue with that?

We cannot use our view for beauty but the view of He that created us…and luckily He does not limit beauty to the face.

Beautiful:

• Are the feet of those who bring Good News (Isaiah 52:7)
• Is a quiet and gentle spirit (1 Peter 3:4)
• Is Zion, His Holy city (Psalm 50:2)
And those who are in Zion will receive beauty for ashes (Isaiah 61:3)
• Is holiness (Psalm 29:2)
• Is gray hair on an old man (Proverbs 20:29)
• Is everything, in its time (Ecclesiastes 3:11)

We are made in His likeness and image, how beautiful is that?! (Genesis 1:27)
We are fearfully and wonderfully made, what a beautiful truth! (Psalm 139:14)

Remember: You are altogether beautiful, my darling: there is no flaw in you! (Song of Solomon 4:7)

Saturday, June 21, 2014

Setting the Mind

If you are reading this, you more than likely have handled some form of money. Money can mean different things to different people. It is all a mindset. For example, picture a $100 bill sitting on a table. The person viewing it determines it's meaning.

An infant will view it as something new to explore by attempting to taste it, rip it into pieces and/or throw it onto the ground. Someone else could view the $100 as a means to get something, immediately thinking of various things they will receive in exchange for it. Another person may view it as a prized possession and immediately tuck it away. To them, it means more to say they have money "for safe keeping" or " a rainy day" than to spend it in that moment. And yet there may be another person who views it as nothing. They either have no desire for money or they possess so much of it that this $100 bill is small in comparison. The point is, how you view the $100 is all in your mind. It's the same object, sitting on this one table for others to see. It is lifeless yet some people give it life. It can do nothing for you, yet some worship it. It causes stress, happiness, debate, peace, confusion, and indifference. It is all in how we perceive money.

This example is not limited to money. We can no longer give godship, life, companionship or priority to any object. Yes it is nice to have things but don't allow things to have you. Your character should not be altered by things. You are still who God made you to be whether you are in a mansion, in a homeless shelter or in a condominum. (I've been homeless so I know this to be true.) We are called to love GOD with all of our heart, soul, strength and mind. HE is the ONE, TRUE, LIVING GOD. Give priority to Him, the creator of us all. It is He who keeps us and provides for us. So give glory to the Giver and not to the gift.

This is something that may happen immediately for some and may be a struggle to others. It's okay to ask God for assistance. This world is full of lust which He is well aware. (1 John 2:16) This is one reason we are to take on the mind of Christ. (Phillippains 2:5) Psalm 84:11 states "The Lord shall not withhold any good thing from the blameless." (Keep in mind He is speaking on what HE considers to be good things.) Trust His Word and timing and know that everything you want is not everything you need. ...also see Matthew 6:24

Wednesday, June 18, 2014

Monday, April 28, 2014

Restored Connection. . .

As I have mentioned in a previous blog, I am blessed to work from home. (Gloorraaayyy) Since being home, I had not experienced any major system issues, meaning computer or internet. That is, until February of this year. Out of nowhere, my internet would go out for several minutes and sometimes several hours and then return working as good as before.

Each time this happened I would call the Help Desk. The Techinal Representative would run tests on my computer to determine if something was wrong. There was nothing wrong. Next, I would be transferred the work at home or WAH internet department. There was no issue seen in this system either. Lastly, my internet provider, Time Warner Cable would come out to my home and run tests on the connection going into my home. Once again, no connection lost there. This happened sporadically for about 2 weeks. After the final Time Warner Cable visit to my home, the WAH internet department called me back and ran more extensive tests. They discovered that my internet modem had returned to its default settings.

As the tech representative ran off a list of reasons how this could happen: power outage; set up by inexperienced tech rep; bad modem, it hit me. I was the reason for the bad connection. I had been unplugging the modem from it's power source every night after I logged out of work. Immediately I alerted the rep of my discovery and he confirmed this is the definite reason for the periodic disconnect.

I did not realize unplugging every night was such a big deal, I mean, I was just trying to save electricity. And while I am sure I saved a few bucks each month with Duke Power, what was the consequence? Losing all settings to my modem? Spending hours on the phone with Technical Support? My phone disconnecting on our valued members? When I weigh both sides, the few bucks just isn't worth the hassle.

Is this you in the spirit realm? Disconnnecting daily with God ? Shutting Him down abruptly when He's trying to stay connected with you. Thinking, I'm just trying to have fun or I'm just trying to get rest when you are really hurting yourself in the long run.

You then recognize there are some disconnects in your life, i.e bad relationships , financial struggles and do not understand why. You reach out to parents, pastors, and friends looking for an explanation and no one can pin point. A deeper look into things may reveal that you are the reason for the disconnect and your disconnection is with God.

I need to add that we have an internal instant messenger within the company that employes me. Each time my internet went out, I would receive an immediate message : "Connection lost. Attempting to restore connection..." This is our God. When we lose our connection with Him , He is still there: waiting , longing for a solid connection with us. No matter how many times we stray, He does not give up on us. How wonderful to have a Creator and Saviour to love us in this way. If you've lost connection from Him, even if it's been longer than several minutes, He is still there waiting to RESTORE you. Restore the connection.

Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me. Revelation 3:20

Tuesday, March 25, 2014

The Servant Formerly Known As Ollie

When I was about 13 years old a woman came into my life as extended family. I did not find out until 11 years later that she operates in the prophetic. Anywho, as soon as she met me, she said "I'm gone call you Ollie cuz you remind me of Olive Oil" . It's funny how I still remember that. It sounds so different now than it did then. I always thought she meant Popeye's wife...but did she?

So I went through life, being known by she and her daughters as, Ollie. A lot happened in those 11 years that I mentioned earlier; mainly growing up, going off to college and graduating. After my grandfather passed away, I briefly moved back to my hometown. This is when she revealed her gift and how she had been called to watch over me. I honestly did not have much guidance in my teens but she was there, guiding me on my way. I had no idea! After this revelation she gave me insight concerning my past, provided warnings of what not to do and imparted understanding of the spirit world. All of this took place literally weeks before I met my husband! Upon meeting him, my life changed for the better. I gave my life to the Lord, early in our relationship. Had she not been obedient and spoke into my life, the transition would not have been as smooth as it was.

Fast forward several years to the end of 2013. My family and I had taken Christmas portraits. One of her daughters commented via social media on how beautiful the family looked. My response, "Thank you, I'm no Ollie anymore." I don't really know why I responded this way, maybe because of my weight gained since having my baby girl. At any rate, she kindly replied, "No, you sure ain't. lol "

I believe this conversation is symbolic the olive I had becoming Holy Oil. As whfoods.org puts it, "Olives are too bitter to be eaten right off the tree and must be CURED to reduce their intrinsic ( meaning belonging to a thing by its very nature) bitterness." My very nature was bitter!! I am no longer carrying around the bitter olive, filled with the pit but the Holy oil from my Father. This Oil has brought me healing, consecration, anointing, gladness and freshness. (Mark 6:13, Exodus 40:9, Hebrews 1:9, psalm 92:10)

The process of extrating the oil from the olive is simple yet intense.

1. The olive is cleansed from any twigs, dirt, leaves and anything else that is un-necessarily attached.

2. That olive (representing my past) is then crushed with the pit (see Psalm 40:2 ) still inside. There is nothing wrong with leaving the pit there. What was once meant for bad is about to turn around and be used for good.
3. This crushed olive is then pressed until it takes on another form altogether. The crushing must take place to tear the flesh and release the oil. It is now paste.

4. Mixing or working with the paste for awhile causes small amounts of oil to come forth. The longer you work with the paste, the more oil is produced. . .so don't give up on an Ollie! and FYI, adding heat or water will produce more oil but it is typically a lower quality of oil. Allow the oil to come out NATURALLY, without any additives.

5. The oil is then SEPERATED or set apart from the water which revealed itself during this transition. This removal process can take several phases to be completed so be patient.

6. Finally the oil is filtered for further purity.

Six steps that lead to a major transformation!

My life over this last year or so has been reflected by Psalm 23, which happens to have 6 verses. Now that my head has been anointed with the oil, next is the OVERFLOW !

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: He leadeth me beside the still waters. 3 He restoreth my soul: He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake. 4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for Thou art with me; Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me. 5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: Thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

referenced:: http://www.oliveoilsource.com/page/extraction-process

Saturday, March 8, 2014

Right Now Words. . . part 2

**** It's really sad how man can look at a person's possessions and popularity to determine if they are worthy to listen to, talk to or even like. Be thankful that God is not like man. He looks at the heart. Amen.

**** Can you believe during the "before"? Would you have really believed Mary, was pregnant by the Holy Spirit if you were there during that time? Would you have believed Moses, if he told you he was sent to bring his people out?? Or that Noah, was to build an ark because of a huge flood coming?? Do you believe His people that are in their "before" right now? Or are you waiting for the "after"? Will it be too late to receive it then? You MUST believe in God and that He exists . Without faith it is IMPOSSIBLE to please Him. Amen.

**** "Be ye ready", says the Lord. My husband and I sleep very lightly now because of our children. We are ready in case one or both wake during the night . We no longer have "sleep" in our voice, are quick to jump up and take action. Action usually means a feeding for the baby or putting our son back to sleep after going to the restroom. We must all be ready spiritually as well. Quick on our feet, focused on the issue(s) at hand, efficient, without tarrying.

**** One night as I sat in pity , aggravation, hurt and anger, I asked the Lord in my heart, "why must I be so un-liked?" I then looked up at my egg shell colored, popcorn ceiling. I noticed a spider's web just dangling from the ceiling. A spider web is colorless yet the Lord focused my eyes directly on it. At that moment my Father responded to me through my heart, "Because I have caused you to SEE". . . don't be ashamed of or curse the gifts you are given. They may cause others to dislike you but be mindful that it is not them but a spirit trying to work within them. Pray for them and keep it moving! Press toward the mark.

Right Now Words. . .part 1

**** Un-forgiveness will keep you out of heaven. Satan knows this. This explains why he sends people and situations to you to cause a rise in your emotions. It may be anger or sadness; whatever causes you not to forgive. The Word clearly states forgive as I have forgiven you.(Matt 6:14-15) We reap what we sow. If we do not forgive we will not receive forgiveness. God is not mocked. So forgive! My God, help us to forgive! Also, cover yourself from offenses. Cover your heart for out of it flows the issues of life. Amen

**** People with the most unhappy lives talk the most mess about others. They seem to overlook their own mess and constantly speak negatively of others. Don't bless God and curse others with the same mouth. On the other hand, those with positive, God filled lives are too busy keeping their relationship airtight to talk badly of others. They are ensuring their lives are in His hand. The Word clearly states not to laugh at your enemies when they fail or are punished or the Lord will turn his wrath away from them.(Proverbs 24:17-18) Amen

**** The Lord will cause you to speak life over those who have spoken death over you. As well as speak encouragement to those who have insulted you. Doing so shows a maturity in God.

**** The cost of following God is great but the cost of not following Him is even greater.

**** To step toward your destiny, you must step away from your security.

**** You never know what God is going to do. Being disobedient or doing His will on your own time could cause serious consequences. If Elijah didn't agree to go to Bethel, if he was too busy to hear God speak he would've missed out on a whirlwind blessing. This is why we should keep our relationship airtight. Amen (2 Kings 1-2)

**** Don't be ungrateful like the 9. Thank God for all He has done for you. He didn't HAVE to do it. Grace is a gift that we did not and cannot earn. (Luke 17:11-19)

Note: not all Bible verses are listed for the purpose of self study/discovery. 8-)