Tag Archives: god

THE JOURNEY CONTINUES: JAN. 15, 2025

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God isn’t done with His awakening for me. This morning was another one of them. As I began to journal I was lamenting the struggles of late and the lessons attached to the struggles. I even asked Jesus when these struggles would finally cease? I was utterly amazed at His response, mainly because I wasn’t really expecting one. He said, “When you decide to praise Me when temptations/struggles hit, you will see the glory of My Work. Let your temptations be a reminder to PRAISE ME instead of a torment to run from. Satan wants to use these tempting moments to confuse you, shame you. You are learning that in worship of Me Satan has no place to reside. He sees Me instead of you. So, use these times, all struggling times as a reminder to PRAISE ME. Praising Me shows your complete TRUST in ME. This is what God your Father has been working to teach you.” Today you get it!

I wept! As I began to read my bible I was reading in the last chapter of II Timothy where Paul was encouraging Timothy. He told him to never give up the fight and to Preach the Word. Others would turn away, but keep himself focused on the goal–the final goal. How I Praise and Thank God for never giving up on me. Only GOD could ever take a past and turn it into a time of Praise and Worship! And of all things–use it to His Honor and Glory!

THE JOURNEY CONTINUES: JAN. 8, 2025

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There is so much to continually praise God about. Stepping into praise of God disallows the concerns in one’s life to dominate one’s mind and emotions. It doesn’t remove the concerns, it just puts them into a category of release. I can trust God to do what He does and I’m not suppose to, and for me to see what part, if there is any.. Spending time each morning in true worship of God our Father awakens my spirit to His Holy Spirit. How I love this impact and clarity.

I have always wanted to serve God with my life. I’ve written so many times how this service would hopefully provide a love from God that would take away the images, the memories, the abuse and bitterness of my past. I thought that removing them would be the only way to obliterate the ongoing confusion in my mind, part of which was scriptures that said God loves us (me). Instead of honoring my prayers, God chose to realign them into trusting Him to use all of these memories as tools. Only God’s miraculous ways could ever turn torment into a tool of Light helping others believe their own torment can be healed and used by God.

My greatest healing is not the removal of these memories, it is the removal of the bitterness and replacing it with the desire to share them as needed for someone else caught in the devil’s trap believing God doesn’t care for you. For, God cares immensely! One just needs to allow Him entrance into the darkness of our soul where all of this bitterness is held and holding oneself captive.

THE JOURNEY CONTINUES: JAN. 7, 2025

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Today a remarkable step is being taken. Someone I’ve known a good deal of my life is coming for help. He has been someone who has helped me on my own journey. Today, I get to be a helper for him with a difficulty he recently told me about. When he was a messenger of Light for me at some very difficult times in my life, I now pray I can be a messenger of Light for him. God has a way of doing this and I feel honored to return a favor.

I know I keep bringing up The Holy Spirit in my daily writing of late. It is incredible to me how much I’ve missed throughout my life about this loving, powerful Gift Jesus Christ gave to me–to each of us as we have asked HIm into our heart and lives. Throughout the New Testament, The Holy Spirit is spoken about/referenced. I’ve always read these references as something nice, but very mysterious. Today, I finally find what has been so mysterious taking root in me. The fact that The Holy Spirit is mysterious is simply because I’m flesh with limited capacity for understanding Spirit. God Himself is mysterious. Jesus Christ today is mysterious, yet because God sent HIm to earth to live for us in flesh and die for us in flesh, do we better understand Him.

I feel as though a cloud has been lifted from me. Instead of confusion, I am finding a contentment of Trust replacing it. I am beginning to rejoice in what I don’t know and thanking Christ for what I am now finding. I don’t need to understand so much as I have needed to TRUST what I couldn’t understand. God is worthy to be Praised and I join the ones who have been Praising Him already!

THE JOURNEY CONTINUES: JAN. 6, 2025

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I don’t know about you, the reader, but I have to admit my human weaknesses far more often than I wish were true. This morning as I was having my devotions I was reminded by Jesus that it is one thing to confess my weaknesses, but along with confession I must make a plan to address them. Then I was reminded that “faith without works is dead” (James 2:17). If I have faith that I can overcome my weaknesses but I don’t put effort into it, I am simply stuck with the weakness/es.

I attempt to give thoughtful advice to those who come for counsel. And, every once in a while, I am reminded that what I had just said, God wants me to put into my own practice. I then have to tell the one sitting across from me that “we can work on this together”.

As I have added worship music to my devotional time I am finding a renewed effort to confront flesh with Spirit. As my spirit awakens through worship it is accompanied with a passion beyond myself that I know is God’s Holy Spirit. He is the very One who will fight this battle, weakness, for me as I release my struggle to Him through my worship of Him. Worship is far more than singing a favorite chorus or hymn. It likely starts there, but God’s Spirit speaks to us in these times if we allow ourselves to listen. I am a newbie at this, but I want to continue growing for God’s Holy Spirit to be in full control of my everyday life.

THE JOURNEY CONTINUES: DEC. 31, 2024

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Today I go back to the room I use for counseling. But, before I take this step, I want to take a moment and reflect upon the year I will step out of in just a few more hours. There are lessons I know God wants me to take with me into the new year, not just as lessons to know, but lessons that have changed me–my life.

As I was reading my devotional, the author was pointing out that no matter how young or old we are, God has continued purpose for having us here on earth. We need to seek this purpose out regardless of our age. I do know the truth in this for at the age of 72 God had me enter into this area of counseling. This has been an amazing step for this grandpa to take. Little did I know how much God would continue to grow me in so doing.

This Fall, as I was introduced to the idea of starting my day with worship music, I seem to have been introduced to God’s Holy Spirit in a way which I’ve never known. I’ve always wanted to have The Holy Spirit as mine, but have never gotten past the “wondering how” part of this step. Awakening my own spirit this time of the day, there is nothing more my spirit wants than to surrender to God’s Holy Spirit for the day. This step is far more than a lesson to learn, it is a life-change. It is as though the new creation I am is finally found.

As this year of 2024 ends I want to move into 2025 more alive than ever before. However, the more alive is defined by alive in Christ because His Gift of The Holy Spirit is alive in me. This is no longer a hope, but a reality! Thank You God for never giving up on me (us).

THE JOURNEY CONTINUES: DEC. 29, 2024

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The holiday time is slowly coming to an end with our family being together. I made my 2nd early morning trip to the airport today and will make the last one early tomorrow morning. Today, those still here will all go to church together. That in and of itself is a joy to my heart.

Living by faith and not by sight is not an easy thing to live out day in and day out. It is just fine when life has a pattern of success around it. But, when something changes that causes you to question or wonder why God would allow something “like this”, all of the faith one thought they had, comes into question. This happened to one of my grandkids in this past week. They were talking to me about it and it brought me right back to where I have been many times in my lifetime. I could assure hem that God is faithful and true to every single promise He had written in His Word. We just sometimes get it in our head how a promise should be played out. It is then we find a lesson we are needing to learn both about our own self and a lesson on Who God Is and how He operates differently from us.

The lessons of life are painful when they occur. Yet, the joy of living out the lesson only to find a more loving God than we ever thought possible awaits at the end of the lesson. God is faithful and good and this never changes.

THE JOURNEY CONTINUES: DEC. 24, 2024

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The beauty of Christmas is upon us. The Love of God has been poured out to us through God’s Son Jesus. In my mind I can see why the Jews of old thought Jesus had come to be their earthly ruler and not a spiritual one. However, being a gentile as I am, I am so grateful God included us in His remarkable plan to redeem mankind for we sure aren’t able to redeem ourselves with our selfish nature being so strong.

The reminder that Satan is here to steal, kill and destroy all of God’s perfect plan, is so very evident. Christmas is such an exciting time. However, I hardly ever experience one where relationships don’t turn sour in someway. Take a step away from the turmoil and one can see Satan smiling at this. However, no matter what Satan attempts, it only takes an apology, a humble sorry, a hug, forgiveness to change that strained relationship back to Godly love. God did a miraculous work sending Jesus to model how this Love of God works.

How grateful I am for this blessed time of God’s Great Love!

THE JOURNEY CONTINUES: DEC. 20, 2024

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There is a huge reality I awoke to this morning. My “old person annual checkups” call me healthy, but that doesn’t mean my healthy flesh doesn’t get tired. As I got up this morning my body was saying to leave it in bed even though my mind was saying it is time to get up. As I began my devotions and started the worship music, my flesh was still saying–“turn it off”. However, when I told my flesh I was surrendering it to Jesus so my spirit this day would be devoted to The Holy Spirit, I surrendered.

Jesus told Peter that Satan wanted to “sift him like sand”. That wasn’t a one time statement meant only for Peter. I’ll bet all of us can say this has happened to us at different point in our lives. It is certainly true for me. I felt a dose of it this morning as I was battling temptations to surrender to flesh rather than to submit my flesh and spirit to Christ’s Holy Spirit. Satan isn’t going to back off just because we have Christ in our lives. His deception is quite masterful particularly when our flesh is tired. But, this AMAZING GOD we serve has all of this in hand when we don’t let our flesh rule–even for a little bit.

I am now ready for this day. The armor of God is in place and I’m surrendered. Yes, my flesh may be tired but I can give it a nap this afternoon if needed by then! How loving and generous our God is. Matthew 11:28 says: “Come unto me and I will give you rest…take My yoke upon thee and learn of Me…my burden is light….” Stepping into today with Christ’s yoke rather than the weight my flesh was carrying is SO different. Our God is truly our LOVING FATHER!

THE JOURNEY CONTINUES: DEC. 19, 2024

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As I write today’s date I realize just how close Christmas is in it’s arrival. My kids and grandkids are arriving this weekend and the joy of family all being together will begin once again. What is equally on my heart is the reality of “Christmas arriving”. This babe we call Jesus came to us in the same way we came into this world of ours. The only difference was who had planted the seed of life for Him. I have a difficult time with this reality knowing what God and Jesus knew ahead of time and followed through with their plan for you and me. That was only a beginning of the plan too.

Jesus conquered sin for us so we can have our eternal life with God as was the original intent. In conquering sin He conquered the grip Satan wanted to have over mankind. As I write this I can hardly explain in words my gratitude for what Christ has done for you and me. The grip sin had on me for so, so long is broken. Not only is it broken, it is replaced with the gift of helping others find this truth for them.

Part of what Jesus did while on earth was heal the sick. What a privilege it is to get to participate with Him in continuing this healing work in a healing process we call counseling. We get to plant the seeds of new life which Christ gave to us and Satan wants to kill. I have always loved being a gardener. This is like spiritual gardening and the beauty of blossoms is like none other!

THE JOURNEY CONTINUES: DEC. 15, 2024

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Before I write anything else today, I must back up to complete yesterday’s story. I wrote that I was to step into the day in FAITH only. The counseling sessions were to be experienced and not led by me. The quartet singing event was to be experienced and not prepped ahead of time (the order for it had already been done and I needed not prep any further). The experiences of the day as each one completed itself were amazing. The young men, the wife and mother, the attendees of the concert–all had the same message. God, Jesus, Holy Spirit were so present and I am walking away having had an experience which gave each of them and me new Light.

For me personally, I walked away from yesterday shaking my head in sheer abundant joy. I have lived a lifetime fighting temptation in the flesh not understanding how I was to surrender the battle so it could be actually fought and won by our VICTOR–Jesus Christ. We spend a lot of time getting to know our Savior and Lord. We also work on knowing Christ’s Gift to us–The Holy Spirit. This has helped me immensely. The lesson with the young men yesterday added an ingredient I needed. It focused on knowing our enemy–Satan: his many names and his many tactics.

God is Spirit, Jesus Christ came in flesh, but left in Spirit and remains this way for eternity. The Holy Spirit is His Name–SPIRIT. Satan is also spirit. Has flesh ever won over spirit? Never! Satan uses this tactic with us (me) endlessly that I am a loser who is lucky enough to have a Savior. Jesus has helped me experience the truth that I am worthy and not a loser. His Worthiness is mine and seen by God for God sees Jesus in me. It is one thing to know this, it is another to now walk in the confidence of it letting Jesus Christ and The Holy Spirit fight the enemy who wants to “sift me like sand” just as Christ told this to Peter. Instead of fighting, I Worship the Victor! He has already WON the battle!