Author Archives: MEL

Nothing is Impossible!

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“Men of Israel, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know.  This man was handed over to you by God’s set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross.  But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was IMPOSSIBLE  for death to keep its hold on him.  David said about him: ” ‘I saw the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.  Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will live in hope,  because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay.” Acts 2:22-27

“My slanderers pursue me all day long; many are attacking me in their pride. When I am afraid, I will trust in you.   In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid.  What can mortal man do to me?” Psalm 56:2-4

Do you believe that He is more than enough for you today?  Is it okay to admit that you don’t trust Him with everything in you and in your life?  Or that you are having a tough time trusting Him right now?  You might wonder, “Is His grace and love for me really that strong?”  YES!!!!!!  He’s more than enough….  He’s big enough, strong enough, secure enough, and loving enough to hear the really tough stuff.  And He is big enough to shoulder your pain.  He is not taken off guard by you or where you are.  He was in yesterday, He is in today, and He will be in all of your tomorrows!!

There are many times in my life that my circumstances didn’t equate to what I understood the Bible to teach and my trust and love for God waxed cold.  But thanks be to God that His love for me never did!!!!!  Part of growing in your faith is learning to be honest with a God who already knows your deepest thoughts.  Because in exposing the parts that we are keeping from Him we reveal just how great He is, how approachable He is, how safe He is and just how much we need Him.  It is then that the word of God becomes a living love letter and the words that I misunderstood in the agony of my circumstances become crystal clear in the epiphany of His love.  And I realize that nothing is impossible with God, He is my healer, and He really is all that I ever need.

So trust Him!  Trust Him with all of your heart.  Run to Him!  Trust Him with the areas you’ve kept from Him for so long…… those areas that frighten you beyond words….. let the pain of life melt away in His presence and you will realize that….Nothing is Impossible with God, NOTHING!!!!

Heaven’s 107

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                                                 Psalm 107

“Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, Whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy.”  Psalm 107:1-2

” Those who sat in darkness and in the shadow of death, Bound in affliction and irons–  Because they rebelled against the words of God, And despised the counsel of the Most High,  Therefore He brought down their heart with labor; They fell down, and there was none to help.  Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, And He saved them out of their distresses.  He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, And broke their chains in pieces.  Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness, And for His wonderful works to the children of men!”  Psalm 107:10-15

Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, and he brought them out of their distress.   He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed.   They were glad when it grew calm, and he guided them to their desired haven.”  107:28-30

The entire Psalm 107 is my scripture of choice this year for Thanksgiving.  There are times, when my heart doesn’t flow with Thanksgiving the way that I wish it would.  It is during those times that I pick up the word of God and begin to read about His goodness and let it speak to me and remind me of what to be thankful for.  I usually start in the Psalms, Galatians, or Romans 8.  This year 107  brings me to my knees and causes gratefulness to flow!  I have specifically highlighted the scriptures above that really speak to me. 

Perhaps 107  doesn’t speak to you the same way it does to me this year, I encourage you to take a few minutes and DIG for the Psalm (there are 150 of them!) or other passage that lights your fire and brings you to a place that you overflow with Thanksgiving to the King of all Kings!  Happy Thanksgiving!

Alone NO More! Victims of Sexual Abuse

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(This is my first post of this kind in the section I have categorized, “Resources; Alone No More!”.  From time to time  I would like to address areas that we truly need support with on the journey.  I would love you to comment on any specifics you can lend to these areas, as I am not an all-inclusive authority, but rather a willing investor to help one on their journey towards understanding God’s love for them.)

I felt God’s leading this morning to speak to you who are victims of sexual abuse.  This is a very sensitive and delicate topic and I wanted to acknowledge you today and acknowledge your journey and the incredible courage it has taken you to make it!  The often times lonely, isolated, and painful world you live in is foreign to some, but not to all.  You are not alone.  There is hope for all things in Jesus!  If you are reading this, you have survived and I believe you can thrive because of Jesus and His love for you.  Today, you may feel as if your cries for help have landed on deaf ears, you might see yourself in a room full of people yet be the loneliest one,  you might feel unloved and even unlovable.  You might find your mind always occupied with fear for yourself, your children, your sexuality, your present and your future, or you might simply just have this unexplained desperation, depression, and heaviness that will never lift (almost like a bathtub that is ever filling but the drain is ever open).  That may be today, but there is a new hope for tomorrow.  If you find yourself saying yes to any of these items or you find yourself not relating to these, but you have your own list…..you can be confident that God has heard you and has moved Heaven and Earth just for you.  His answer for everything in this life including complete healing and freedom is in Jesus, no matter the circumstance. 

At any given point, it would be easy to abort the healing process when  you don’t know what to do next or where to turn.  I wanted to provide a list of strategies that might further you on your journey.  It would be limiting to say that God can only work in one way or He has to work in this way or that way.  The truth is, God can work in any way He chooses.  He is the leader and He customizes our specific healing journey with Him.  He can choose whatever He wishes and if He desires, He doesn’t even have to use a tool.  He knows best and He knows you best. 

  1. Journaling.  This requires no money, no resources, but allows you to start to release your feelings to God in a tangible way.  Write everything you feel, everything you fear, everything you want, everything you need.  Let this cathartic experience begin!
  2. Self Studies.  I have included some new links on my home page called Healing for Your Soul, and Healing for your Soul, too!  These are websites that may be a beginning place for you to read about and work through the pain that so surrounds you in a gradual way.  Allender’s book and work book, The Wounded Heart is an in-depth self-study and The Sanford’s have much experience, as well as a prayer and counseling ministry to deal with many deep needs.  Joyce Meyer is also a terrific resource and testimony to God’s healing.  She experienced sexual abuse and has an amazing testimony of God’s healing in her own life.
  3. Group Facilitated.  There are many churches all over the country that are facilitating a curriculum called, “Celebrate Recovery”.  This is a small group type format; I know several people who have attended who had been sexually abused and it was what God used to help them to a new place of healing and freedom.  http://www.celebraterecovery.com/
  4. One on One.  Private counseling is a great resource, as well.  There are many qualified and capable people out there who have refined their skills for many years and who are qualified to manuever the path of healing with you.  Check with your local church first for recommendations.  Please do not stop looking for someone to help you if you have had a bad experience with a practitioner.  Be sure to find someone who has experience with this type of area and someone you have met, feel safe with, and could receive from.

This list is by no means exhaustive, but hopefully you understand that you have choices, resources, and you are not alone.  You have a God who died for you and you are loved and treasured in a way that only He can reveal to you on the journey with Him.  Allow Him the opportunity to love you.  I love Joyce Meyer’s quote, “Do it afraid!”  Ask Him how He wants to speak to your heart.  Ask Him to help you desire to move forward.  Tell Him how much you hurt and how scared you are.  I believe in His power that much and I believe in you!

“Then they took him and cast him into a pit. And the pit was empty; there was no water in it.”  Gen. 37:24

“But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst ; but the water that I shall give him SHALL BE IN HIM a well of water springing up into everlasting life.”  John 4:14

There may be no water in the pit you are in today, but the water shall be IN YOU springing up from the WELL that never runs dry!

HOORAY for GRACE

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So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law;  but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members.  What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?  Thanks be to God–through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.  Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,  because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man,  in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit.  ”  Romans 7:21-8:4

Phew!!!  Can any one say COMPLICATED!!!  Let’s see if we can look at it this way today….

Ever feel torn, unhappy, conflicted, desperate, disconnected with life, disqualified,  feel guilty for something but not sure why or what?  Perhaps this scripture may bring some light to the situation.  Perhaps you are  continuing to live according to the law of sin and death?  Remember when the 10 commandments were introduced….. they are what the scripture calls the law in the Bible.  This came as a way for people to become “righteous” through what they did, literally.  However, it really was a way for people to see their desperate need for a Savior.  When Jesus came, the law had perfectly showed the way to Him, it laid a path for Him, it rolled out the red carpet for the Real Star (if you will).  But now that the Star has come, we sometimes continue to look back at the law and look for a guide…..to what?  To merit what?  Now that the Lord Jesus has come, He is the way to complete reconciliation with God and in following Him, He produces an even greater standard in us by His Spirit!  When you accept Jesus into your heart, you live led by the Holy Spirit.  That means that you listen for His leading, you put your trust and faith in Him as your way to being okay with God, and you know that your salvation has come from what He has done for you, not what you can do for you.  This can be a hard concept to grasp in a “merit” oriented culture and with a “works” mindset and a fear that too much “Grace” will lead to rampant sin, but that is why He reassures us, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith–and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God–  not by works, so that no one can boast.”  Ephesians 2:8 and “The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.  But thanks be to God!  He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Cor. 15:56-57 and  Romans 6:14 says, “For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace.”  

Perhaps this has spoken to a desperate part of your heart today and you can relate.  Cry out to God today for His mercy.  Ask Him to help you come out from under this blanket of condemnation, control, and confusion and see Him face to face in His grace.  Ask Him to lead you down His path of grace, even though it may feel too easy…..(it really is meant to feel that way).  Ask Him to help you be less “sin and death” conscious and more “Jesus and His Power and Love for you” conscious.  Ask Him for a revelation of His love for you and ask Him to help you grasp everything that Jesus died to give you freely.  Now, release the stress, financial needs, sicknesses, conflicts, loneliness, isolation, fear, and pain to the lover of your soul today.  His grace is free, it is complete and it shall supply all of your needs according to His riches in Christ Jesus!  

Limitless Life

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“We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life.  Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead.   He has delivered us from such a deadly peril,  and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope  that he will continue to deliver us.”  2 Cor. 1:8b-10

If I could have a theme scripture for my life, this one would rank pretty high on my list.  Most of the struggles I have endured, have revealed a whole slew of beautiful things in me……mainly, just how self-reliant I am.  How I completely remove Him from the equation at times and rely on the visible facts.  My mindset would best be described as  A+B=C, ie. I feel like dying +Doctor says I am going to die=Death. 

It was not until I began to understand the principle of this scripture that I began to see.  Yes, if it were just about me and the facts I would settle for a limited life.  But this scripture gives me a different way to look at life, a limitless life.  It introduces a different reasoning.  Not the rationale of the world, but a rationale of the Kingdom of God.  Under this rationale, the equation may look like A + B =Z, ie. I feel like dying + Doctor says I am going to die = God raises the dead!  You see, raising the dead was not something that just happened to Jesus, He was the one to release it!!  He made the way of access for us!!  He modeled the pattern!!  And He didn’t just stop with our lives, this power to raise the dead applies to everything that is “dead!”; to mindsets, perspectives, finances, emotions, dreams,  relationships, etc.  The list is endless….  Our hope must be set on the premise that whatever is dead can be raised to life by the power of Jesus.   We must begin to align ourselves and our thinking with the rationale of the  Kingdom of God.

Instead of asking yourself today how you are going to make it through, tell yourself that you don’t know how you are going to make it through because the answer is not inside of you.  Then tell yourself that you are relying on The One who raises the dead!  That you are perfectly capable of enduring whatever is before you because you are relying on God, and He has delivered you, He will deliver you, and He will continue to deliver you!  Now turn to God, believe Him, receive His strength, set your hope, and wait for Him to raise you up in Jesus Name!

Cheater and Completer

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“As you have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving. Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.”  Colossians 2:8-9

“Let no one cheat you of your reward, taking delight in false humility and worship of angels, intruding into those things which he has not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind,  and not holding fast to the Head, from whom all the body, nourished and knit together by joints and ligaments, grows with the increase that is from God.” Col. 2:18-20

The truth is=  You are complete in Jesus.  You can add no more to His completed work on the cross.  You cannot work to be more loved or accepted than you are at this very moment. 

Who or what are you allowing to CHEAT YOU?  Look at the deceivers methods:  philosophy, empty deceit, tradition of men, basic principles of the world, false humility, worship of angels, intrusions, and mental vanity.  What lies are you believing?  Is your thinking based upon Christ or some philosophy regurgitated through deceit? 

I allowed the enemy to cheat me far too long by buying into his lies.   Thank God that He always leads me in triumphal  procession in Christ!  As I stopped protecting and defending  the lies, and became willing to acknowledge them and lay them down as God brought them up to me, I have achieved a new measure of freedom and completeness in Him.  Allow His completeness to speak to all the cheaters in  your life today.

Remember, the devil is the CHEATER.   Jesus is your COMPLETER!

Who Dare?

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“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?  Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:35-37

Who are you letting separate you from His love today?  Who or what are you giving permission to rob you of the greatest power known to man?  Are you convinced today of this truth? 

You must rise up against the voice of the enemy and declare your freedom today…..

Thank you God for your limitless gift of love to me.  I have allowed the lies of the enemy, the idols of my heart, and the circumstances I have been in to dictate to me a wrong picture of who You are and Your love for me.  NO MORE!  Today in the name of Jesus, I take authority over these lies.  They will no longer be effective in their message.  I know today that I am loved and no matter what my life may look like on the outside, I know you don’t look on the outward appearance, but on the heart.  Today I purpose in my heart to do the same.  Today I declare that I am loved.  I am accepted.  I am able to conquer what is before me because of what Jesus did for me.  I have complete victory!  It is finished!  Now, I take authority over this heaviness that has set up residence in my home and in my heart and I ask you Lord to wash this dust from my feet.  Today I believe, I receive, and I will cling to this love.  In Jesus Name, AMEN!

 

Cry Out

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“And they came to Jericho: and as he went out of Jericho with his disciples and a great number of people, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the highway side begging . And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out , and say , Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me. And many charged him that he should hold his peace : but he cried the more a great deal, Thou Son of David, have mercy on me. And Jesus stood still , and commanded him to be called . And they call the blind man, saying unto him, Be of good comfort , rise ; he calleth thee. And he, casting away his garment, rose , and came to Jesus. And Jesus answered and said unto him, What wilt thou that I should do unto thee ? The blind man said unto him, Lord, that I might receive my sight . And Jesus said unto him, Go thy way ; thy faith hath made thee whole . And immediately he received his sight , and followed Jesus in the way.” Mark 10:46-52

True and lasting change comes from an authentic encounter with Jesus Christ.  If you are “stuck” in your life, regardless of the circumstances of your struggle, you really have 3 options that come to mind:

1.  CRY OUT to God for His mercy and MOVE in your life and that you encounter Him in a real way.

2.  CRY OUT to God for His mercy and FIND you because you are not able to see Him or find Him.

3.  CRY OUT to God for His mercy and HELP you walk effectively in what He has already deposited in your life.

Cry out to God wherever you are, rise up on the inside and believe that He has heard you and now wait for Him to help you see thy way out…..

“The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it.”  1 Thess. 5:24

Living Water

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“1 Then the man brought me back to the entrance of the Temple. There I saw a stream flowing eastward from beneath the Temple threshold. This stream then passed to the right of the altar on its south side. 2 The man brought me outside the wall through the north gateway and led me around to the eastern entrance. There I could see the stream flowing out through the south side of the east gateway. 3 Measuring as he went, he led me along the stream for 1,750 feet and told me to go across. At that point the water was up to my ankles. 4 He measured off another 1,750 feet and told me to go across again. This time the water was up to my knees. After another 1,750 feet, it was up to my waist. 5 Then he measured another 1,750 feet, and the river was too deep to cross without swimming. 6 He told me to keep in mind what I had seen; then he led me back along the riverbank. 7 Suddenly, to my surprise, many trees were now growing on both sides of the river! 8 Then he said to me, “This river flows east through the desert into the Jordan Valley, where it enters the Dead Sea. The waters of this stream will heal the salty waters of the Dead Sea and make them fresh and pure. 9 Everything that touches the water of this river will live. Fish will abound in the Dead Sea, for its waters will be healed. Wherever this water flows, everything will live.” Ezekiel 47:1-9

Do you see His stream flowing?   Has He been leading you along the stream?  Has He told you to go across?  Are you up to your ankles, your knees, your waist, or are you swimming?  Once you step into the flow of His living water you will see, you will understand, you will live!

Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.”

It is a simple request….

God Alone

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“Blessed be the Lord, Who bears our burdens and carries us day by day, even the God Who is our salvation!  Selah [pause, and calmly think of that ]  God is to us a God of deliverances and salvation, and to God the Lord, belongs escape from death [setting us free].  Psalm 68:19-20

 This verse makes me want to fall on my face and just worship Him! 

I’ve not always felt that way…… I know what it is like to feel so heavy and burdened down by the heaviness of life and my perspectives that I’ve needed help minute by minute to even make it through my day, let alone want to worship!  It is natural to not FEEL like worshipping most days.  It is supernatural to DO it anyway.  Most victories that have come in my life are a result of not obeying my feelings and doing it anyway.  

There will be times in your life when your circumstances give you reason to praise Him.  There will be times when life is good and you overflow with praise.  But what will you do with the majority of your life?  We have to learn to consistently praise Him because of WHO He is, not for just what He DOES (or doesn’t do). 

Praise Him because you know that He is the God of deliverance, salvation, and He alone sets us free.   Praise Him and watch supernatural things take place around you and in you….  Praise Him and watch Heaven stir and deliverance  activated…..  Praise Him and see the lies you have believed become obvious against His Holy truth…..  Praise Him and see the death, heaviness, and burdens that have so weighed you down release…..  Praise  Him and watch all of Heaven be dispatched to your assistance…..

Look what happened to Paul and Silas, they were, “thrust  into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks.  And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed , and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.  And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken : and immediately all the doors were opened , and every one’s bands were loosed.”