Meditation for fear

It is a Peaceful day. The sun is shining and a cool breeze begins to blow ever so softly against your skin. You are walking hand in hand with Jesus on the path to your heart garden. The aroma in the air is that of lavender and the dirt road that you are traveling, has captivating flowers lining a white picket fence line. You come upon a gate and enter through with Jesus at your side. Now in the garden of your heart, He kneels down with you and allows you to search and find the fear weed that is trying to strangle your beautiful heart flower.  Jesus hands you a small shovel and tells you that it cannot be picked at surface level,  it will only grow back if not fully exposed and removed. As you shovel up the soil around it,  memories flood your mind of times past. Every layer of soil representing one thing that happened or a belief that you are holding,  that has watered this weed called fear. As you dig through the layers, keep in mind that  just as we have our beautiful Father sowing Heavenly seed for us, there is another that is trying to sow tares. The seed that began this weed was sown by the evil one who has NO POWER OVER YOUR GARDEN other than what you have allowed. Only Jesus and you have dominion over your garden.  So, take some time to.. really get to the bottom of where it started and what things watered it to make it grow. Ask Jesus to please show you like a picture screen movie what has taken place. Once you feel that you have exposed the root with the help of Jesus, thank Him for the opportunity of growth through your trials. As you pull you see that Jesus's hands are pulling also.  My how they bear a strong resemblance to yours.  You notice that Jesus has an opened golden box in his hand and is making a gesture for you to put the fear weed in this box. What a beautiful white light that is beaming from within it! As you place the weed into the box, it is transformed in the light before your eyes into a beautiful rainbow colored butterfly, that is flying away into Heaven as you hear these Words: When you give our struggles to Me, I will turn them into treasures stored up for you in Heaven as well as on Earth………

Oh what a joyous feeling that comes over you to witness such a beautiful thing!  You can feel the smile on your face and the warm feeling of love that has covered over you like a blanket. This blanket is His protection of love that is always over you; however your increased Faith has made it easier to feel. See yourself turning to your Daddy and praising and thanking Him for helping you through this. He gazes at you and whispers, “Go in Peace for your Faith has healed you”.  I love you very much.  I have been here all along just waiting for you to ask me to heal you. Thank you for trusting Me with your heart child. Remember that we will need to tend to your garden. Read My Word daily and store up my Words  up in your heart. Each Word is a new seed planted and watered that will grow in love. Your heart garden will be so full of my Words of Truth, that the evil one will have no room to plant his wicked seed. Remember above all things that you can do ALL THINGS THROUGH ME WHO GIVES YOU STRENGTH. All you have to do is BELIEVE WHAT I SAY rather than what he says.  TRUST ME CHILD AND FIND PEACE FOR YOUR SOUL. Please take time to speak with Me every day, for I love to hear your beautiful voice.  I am here with you waiting as always child, longing for you to ask Me for My help and to sit still long enough to listen to the healing Words that I have for you.  Now that I have your attention, there is a special gift that I would like to give you today. He hands you a golden box of your very own. You open it, and three sentences flow out of it. The first two "feel" familiar but you are unable to read them. Finally, the last line you are able to read:

God has given you a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.

God has given you a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.

God has given you a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.

You have heard these words over and over again in regards to this matter, but this time it cuts you to your very core, because you have been made aware that they are truly are a personal gift to you from your savior, as well as the first new seed planted in your beautiful garden of your heart. There is now an even greater feeling of warmth over your body and bigger smile on your face. There is a joyous feeling in your heart! You turn to Him, give Him a HUGE HUG and say, “ I receive your Gift Father and I know that you have made me worthy”!!!!  THANK YOU SO MUCH, I LOVE YOU! He tells you how much He loves you, you both giggle as you walk out of the garden together holding hands, and onto your next journey with Him by your side.

The above is a version of a meditation that was given to me by our Lord for His daughter my dear sweet Sister. I hope that it is able to help on your journey, as she has so graciously allowed me to share her gift with you.

 

 

One of the greatest love stories of all time

Let's say that you made your living as farmer and a horrible draught had swept across the land, causing you to close shop and move to another town.  What do you feel your initial thoughts would be regarding this news?

I have been re-visiting the story of Ruth lately. Naomi and Ruth, WOW what an incredible duo of women! If you have time, I urge you to read the story for yourselves. It is in the Old Testament of the Bible.

As with all of the Lord's perfectly painted stories, this one will not let you down in the way of teaching you valuable life lessons and insights. A story of pain, hope and deliverance and mostly love.

In the beginning scene we learn that there was a famine in Bethlehem where Naomi is from. It is for this reason that  she, her husband Elimilech and their two sons embark on a journey to Moab. In that time Moabites were known to worship a God they named chemosh. A blood thirsty God who required human sacrifice. It is surprising to think that there was not another place for them to travel to in their time of need; however it is quite obvious that God used the situation of the drought to usher them to the place, that He had prepared for them at that specific moment in time. A place on the way to greatness. A stepping stone in life. Not the end of the journey but a stop along the way. They took up residence there and it does not say how long after they arrived that Elimilech had died. Wow, can you imagine being driven from your homeland, and then losing your husband on top of that?!  Next, she loses not one but both of her sons!  This is where Ruth steps onto the canvas in the story of our Savior. She was married to Mahlon, one of Naomi's two sons. You can surely see, these women had known much pain in their lives up to this point. Naomi was still living with both of her daughter- in- laws when she heard that the famine was over in Bethlehem. Knowing that she was of old in age, and unable to provide a husband for her daughters, she bid them to please stay in Moab where there true families were and find another man so that they could know the pleasure of having a family of their own. Orpah wanted to go with Naomi but then decided to stay in Moab. Ruth clung to Naomi despite her blessing for her to find a new husband. Nothing was going to stop her from going to Bethlehem with Naomi. She even went as far as denouncing her childhood deity of  chemosh and calling Jehovah her God! Where you go, I will go and your God will be my God, and your people my people. Have you ever had someone that was not only willing to share your pain, but to really and truly bear your burden with you? As far as a pair of natural eyes could see, walking with Naomi meant that she was basically to become the care giver of this women in the place of a husband. On top of that, it also meant the possibility of children was out. For a young lady to make a decision like this, only one thing could compel her to do so..... LOVE..  Naomi was so bitter before they arrive in her hometown, she had asked that Ruth call her Mara, (meaning bitter water) feeling as if the Lord's hand was against her.

When they arrived, it was the beginning of the Barley Harvest. It is then that Ruth declares that she will glean in the field of the one whom she will find favor with the owner. Mind you she did not have a plan in front of her, or know what field she would end up in; however in the midst of such a seemingly rotten set of past circumstances, she still used her will to express blessings onto the situation. Hope was not lost. That is Faith my friends!

It says that her hap was to light on the portion of the field belonging to Boaz. In English, or I suppose I should say Anglo Saxton, it means... Hap (a Saxon word for "luck, chance").  In other words, God's blessings.  The question is why does it say it was a blessing? Well, let me tell you! It turns out that Boaz is a brother of Naomi's late husband and very wealthy. This made him what they called a Kinsman. This is someone who is able to marry their brother's widow in order to protect the family line. However, Boaz had an older brother (nearer kinsman) who was entitled to redeem before his younger brother if he chose to.

Ruth unaware of this worked every day from sun up to sun down taking little breaks and winning the hearts of those around her with her kind loving nature, including the heart of Boaz. True to what Ruth had declared earlier (as a man believes so is he), Boaz had taken notice of her and had begun to show her great favor. One night when Ruth had brought home enough wheat that Naomi must have known it was more than she could have gleaned in a day, Naomi asked her what field have you been gleaning and she blessed the man that would show her such favor. When Ruth revealed to her the place, Naomi cried, " blessed be Jehovah who has not left off His kindness to the living and to the dead"! That man is kin to us!!

She then thoroughly explained to Ruth how to go about making Boaz realize who Ruth and how to ask that he redeem her. It was a strange ritual really but in the end Boaz would have had a chance to fully take advantage of Ruth in the wee hours of the night but he was a total gentleman and very protective of her honor. He agreed that he should redeem her but had to make sure that it was ok by his older brother. When Ruth came home to tell Naomi how it went, Naomi said something that all women need to hear. She said sit still for the man will not rest until he has finished this thing this day. Hear that ladies? A man with true intentions towards you and commitment to you will not rest until he finds a way to win your heart.
The only thing standing between Boaz and Ruth was his being second to his brother in the redeeming order. Boaz went up to the gate that he knew his brother would come to that same day. It doesn't say how long he waited there but the fact that he was willing to sit and wait is a shocking thought in today's day and age especially. His brother (name unmentioned), happened by as he thought he would and he began to plead his case for Ruth. Boaz explained to him that he could redeem the land that Naomi was selling because she was the wife of their brother. Initially he agrees to do it. Can you imagine the pit that Boaz, Ruth and Naomi must have had in their stomachs upon hearing those words, I will redeem it!?  Boaz however did not stop there. He reminded his brother that the day he was to buy the field of Naomi, he would also have to buy it from Ruth in order to raise up the name of the dead on his inheritance. How quickly this changed his brother's mind! One woman, was costly enough but two, oh it just wasn't worth it.. to him anyway. He said, "I cannot redeem it or I will mar my own inheritance". Buy it for yourself if you wish. You bet he did! You see Boaz knew what a treasure that he was getting with Ruth and he was willing to also be the provider for Naomi. When is the last time someone went the extra mile for you? How treasured she must have felt!

The story ends with baby Obed laying in the bosom of Naomi.  A woman that not so long before wept bitterly having no hope. Oh wait just another small detail! Obed later became the Father of Jesse who was the Father of none other than King David.

If you had asked someone earlier in the story including Ruth, do you think God will create in your womb, a Father of the future generations of  Kings? I am certain she would have raised a brow.

WITH GOD ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE AND EVERYONE IS EQUALLY TREASURED WARTS AND ALL..

I had asked at the beginning of the story, how you would feel if you had to leave your hometown due to seemingly bad circumstances?  Perhaps this story has given you a different perspective. God can use any situation and it seems to me it is usually the worst of times, that turn a happy ending into a joyous one.

-Selah-

Faith like Tulips

In the summer of 2012 my friend and I went to the Cincinnati Zoo to purchase some of the tulips that they sell at the end of the Tunes and Blooms spring season.  This is an awesome event that they have at the Zoo everything Thursday in April. The Zoo comes to life with these beautiful tulips from all around the world and it is quite the backdrop to the already awesome animal exhibits. I remember we sat there for over an hour waiting for the sales to begin. My friend had her eye on the biggest bunch of tulips in crates that they had for sale that day. They were a beautiful red color and everyone there would look at them as they walked by. We had the edge, we were the first ones there. Finally, the sales began and she purchased the coveted bunch of tulips. As we were walking through the Zoo to the exit carrying the double sized crate, I remember feeling as if we were walking with our prize. As if we were proud hunters that were walking out with the 15 point buck of the day. I had promised her that I would help her to plant them sometime that week. The only problem was that neither of knew how to plant tulips.

The day came when it was time for me to make good on my promise and we were in her flower bed planting away. Besides some tips that we grabbed from various Internet sites ( most of which seemed to contradict the information that we had read the site before), we just started planting them with wreckless abandon. We must have planted over 100 bulbs. I prayed over the garden and dedicated it to God. I remember when I finished wondering will they come up? What will they look like? You really cannot see the full picture until flowers bloom. Yeah, you have a picture in your head, but until you see it with your eyes, it's all just your imagination. I remember thinking man, this is going to take forever before we see what we have created together!

The other day my friend mentioned the tulips to me and I was thinking  of how planting those tulips and waiting for them to bloom is a lot like a picture of  Faith. It's something that is in the ground and you cannot really see the changes that are taking place beneath the surface of the ground, but you wait in expectation that in the spring, you will see the show of pure beauty that God will put on for you as the tulips start to take the stage. We planted the seeds knowing that , God will make them grow. He gave nature it's capability to know what to do and when to do it. However if my friend and I didn't truly believe that they grow, we would not have purchased them, or took the time to plant them in her garden. We would have just said, oh well we don't know if they will grow, so why plant?

Faith is a lot like this in the way that we cannot see the things that we hope for and we usually have to wait for some period of time before we see whatever it is that we are anticipating. In the Bible there are quotes from Jesus.. "Your Faith has healed you"  and  "Let it be done for you according to your Faith !".. It's clear to me that  our Faith in whatever we are wishing for, is the main active factor that God is able to work with in order to have it come to fruition.  Faith is will based and necessary for any miracle. God can do anything that He wants and is not limited in any way however; I feel  it is a our Faith that moves Him to co-create with us. It's no fun when all parties are not participating in anything in life. It's not all about work on our part but mostly about belief. When James said that, "Faith without works is dead", I really feel he meant more of the stepping out that happens when a heart truly believes. Do your actions match what your mouth is saying? If we told everyone that we believed we could make a garden of tulips that would come up in the Spring but then when someone gave us the opportunity to do this, said ehhh we are really not sure that will happen, that is a lack of Faith in what we have professed. True in this scenario we did have to physically work with some elbow grease, ( it was not easy planting all of those bulbs)..  Sometimes it can be as simple as the action of speaking after we have asked for something or profess to believe in something in our lives. If I ask God to use me to change the world, but then make comments such as " I am just one simple person, how could God ever use me"?  The action of your mouth speaking disbelief is showing what is truly in your heart on the matter. "Let it be done for you according to your Faith !"..  Individual reality is nothing more than individual perception of reality. Two people can  attend same event and each individual person can walk away from the event with a different opinion of what happened while they were there than the other person will have. What happened while they were there is their individual perception of what happened and for that moment in time was their individual reality. What is real to us? What do we see with our eyes?

When I take pictures, sometimes I focus the lens on one subject and I take several different shots from several different angles. It amazes me every time how different the same thing can appear when I change my position around the same subject. It creates a new frame. We truly can do this in life with our circumstances. Move, change your position ( re-frame). Choose to see it differently. It's true that all sides of that subject remained the same but it was I that had to move around,  to see the different angles that made a completely different picture and it  gave me a totally new perspective of that same subject. We will see whatever we choose to see with the lens of our eyes.

Matthew 13:58 And he did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith..

The Word Became Flesh

Every story has characters/scenes,backgrounds. The authors job is to  depict these things in such a way that the reader will feel as if they know the Characters and he will paint a picture in thier mind as to the setttings to a point where the reader feels that he is there.

In His Book God is described and His laws/Words. The character of Jesus, Jesus was the character of God sent in physical form to relay those Words and show us the nature of our Father.

Through the Character of Jesus (who is the character of God in flesh form) is how the WORD BECAME FLESH in our world.


ACTS 3:15
You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses of this.

Timothy 1:10: “And now he has made all of this plain to us by the appearing of Christ Jesus, our Savior. He broke the power of death and illuminated the way to life and immortality through the Good News.”