Oh, the perfect unblemished banana…so sweet, so satisfying, so fresh…

 We know, however, that as it ages it encounters oxygen and begins to oxidize.  Proof of this is those nasty looking brown spots that begin to form and the banana begins to feel softer.   

There are a few ways to slow down this reaction but you cannot stop it entirely.

Eventually the banana will come to look like this familiar site… 

A far glimpse from its original state.  Three fourths brown now, leathery, very soft on the inside, borderline-mushy and you can begin to smell it… 

 Ever felt like the banana? 

Started out great guns, your act together, on top of your game but as time and life happen, the zeal that you once felt has eroded, the worries of this world have mounted and now all you feel is bruised, aging and non-valuable…

I had a pile of over ripened bananas on my cabinet last week.  I stared at them for a few days wondering if they would be eaten by my son or husband.  At day 3, I realized that no one wanted them and I had a decision to make.  Their usefulness as a snack had long diminished, so I needed to decide to…

 or combine them with…

 and make… Banana Bread!!!

You know, you can’t make banana bread that’s worth anything using unblemished bananas, they are not sweet enough to shine through.  And if you have ever tried, it is very hard to find a grocer that will carry them in their brown state.  It really just takes time and exposure to the elements of life that make the banana sweeten and sweeten and sweeten until it becomes the star and really shines through!  That one simple, rotten looking ingredient transforms boring sweet bread into bananany heaven!  

Remember back to the unblemished banana.  As it ages and essentially appears rotten, something beautiful is happening on the inside…it is developing and forming a new purpose. 

It is transforming from snack to feast!!

At my house, no one gets excited when I say, “Fresh bananas!”  But you should see them come running when I yell, “Banana bread!”  Conversely, after a long workout, I’d much rather have a fresh banana than banana bread. 

It is all about purpose…all about timing.  All about His transformation in our lives.

Be excited wherever you are. 

 Be satisfied with who you are. 

 Be confident that wherever that is, you have purpose and value. 

Do not be deceived.  What is on the outside is deceiving.  Don’t throw yourself or anyone else away thinking they are rotten.  With a little perspective change one can understand one’s value at any given point in life. Through Jesus Christ the NONvaluable to the world shines as INvaluable to Him and His kingdom! 

Be inwardly renewed with fresh hope today.  Take up your righteousness, peace and joy.  He died to give it to you!  You are destined, you have great purpose, and you always have hope in Jesus! You are an overcomer by nature, even if the tools to overcome your specific battle have not appeared to your eyes quite yet.  Rest assured they are already ever-present to your spirit,  and through the Holy Spirit He will illuminate them each step of your way. 

Remember, we walk by faith, not by sight and He Has overcome the world!!  

Love you friends and keep your mind focused on Him today no matter what is going on around you!!  You are dearly loved!

“Therefore, since through God’s mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart.  Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.  And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing.  The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.  For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake.  For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.  But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.  We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair;  persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.  We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.  For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body.  So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.  It is written: “I believed; therefore I have spoken.” With that same spirit of faith we also believe and therefore speak,  because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you in his presence.  All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.  Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.  For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.  So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”

2 Corinthians 4 

“”Let all those who seek You rejoice and be glad in You; Let such as love Your salvation say continually, “The Lord be magnified!” Psalm 40:16

“My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”  Ex. 33:14

In this passage Moses was trying to understand what it was that God was wanting him to do and really wrap His brain around what that would look like for him.  He had just obeyed the Lord and brought some people out of the land of Egypt, but God was now asking Him to go to the Promised Land and continue there with this same whiny, stiff-necked, very difficult group.  I think Moses was just looking for a little reassurance knowing what he had just faced with them.  He knew that God was with him personally and had given Him grace, but what He wanted to know was God with them.  Meaning, was God with Moses and the whiny bunch.  It was like he was implying, I can do this task you are asking of me because I know that you are with ME.  BUT, I really need to know that you are with US because I am not up for US if there is no YOU.

“If Your Presence does not go with US, do not bring US up from here.”  v 15

Now that is someone who knew his personal limitations. He knew he was totally done and could not make it any further without God’s Presence….

God’s response to Moses is in verse 17, “I will also do this thing that you have spoken; for YOU have found grace in My sight, and I know YOU by name.”

God is willing!!!!!!  Here God had made His Presence known time and time again to Moses.  Moses prayed on behalf of the ones He had to lead and God agreed.  This opened the door for the renewal of God’s covenant with Israel and released a prophetic symbolism of what was to come for the world.

Are you there?  Are you at the place of Moses when he prayed, “If Your Presence does not go with us, do not bring us up from here?”  Are you at the end of your rope and have no vision to continue and no strength to endure?

Be encouraged today my friends!!  You can through Jesus.  You can go where He leads and you can lead where He leads.  Because of Jesus we no longer have to ask God if He is willing….His eternal answer came in His Son…..Emmanuel, God with US!!!  And His Presence brings His power!!!  His power to overcome, rise above, and conquer each task that He gives.

You have been given the fulfillment of God’s promise for His Presence in the person of Jesus Christ and of the Holy Spirit.  You can be confident that His Presence is always with you.  Know that today.  Stand assured in this place.  True rest only comes in Christ….in His Presence.  He soothes, comforts us, settles and consoles us and quiets us with His love.

You can do anything, be anything, speak anything, and lead anything He directs because you can be confident that His Presence is what gives you true rest.

You can accomplish anything He asks of you because of Jesus.  You can know that you have all of the support of Heaven to obey and move forward in whatever way God leads you.  “You can do all things through Christ who gives you strength, the joy of the Lord is your strength, and in His Presence is fullness of joy.”  Your ability to fulfill His will is found in Him!  He gives the requirement and then provides the response!!!  Only God can do that for you!!!  Now call on His Presence, lean on His Presence and arise in His Presence and move forward with joy knowing that HE goes with you and gives you rest!!!

Psalm 139:7-10 “Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?  If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.  If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea,  even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.”

Matthew 11:28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”

“For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us SO our comfort also abounds through Christ.”  2 Cor. 1:5

Let His comfort wash over you today and release the burdens of this world.  Lasting comfort abounds through Christ.

Therefore, “I can have hope for anyone whether they are being afflicted or comforted because I know that as they partake of the sufferings they also will partake of the comfort.” 

That is beautiful news….it tells us that God’s comfort is superior to suffering!!!!

Which may feel impossible when in pain; but you can trust that it is the truth and over time, you can grow to understand it more and more.

You can KNOW, BELIEVE, and TRUST in this comfort.

The way I see it, we have two paths to choose from in the face of suffering:  Turn to God or turn to something else.  Having been through many years of personal suffering I have been faced with that choice quite often.  Sometimes I chose other things and sometimes I chose God right off.  The only times I could have regretted are those when I chose other than my King…. because, for a season, that choice worked in me greater suffering.  But thank God, because of His goodness, He worked in me greater comfort.  In fact, remembering back, each time I chose the inferior place He met me there each time….because He loves me. I bet looking back on your life you too can see Him and how He helped you. Even though my choices initially took me further down and away from peace and comfort, He came after me there because He says that I cannot flee from His presence.  He is so good, He is so loving, He is so faithful, He is always with me.  He is always with you.

Now that I am understanding His love for me more and more, I am more prone to turn straight to Him and avoid the detours down those long desolate roads.  To be real, I still have some pretty good pity-parties from time to time, however, they seem to not have the same Hoorah they used to have.  Their payoff just doesn’t compare to Him!

I have learned instead to let Him lead me beside the quiet waters.  Some of the ways that I have learned to do this include:

• Listen and sing praise music. In fact, when I am in despair, I will fill my home with praise music 24 hours a day, until I feel the hopelessness relieve and the intense pressure release.   I enjoy all of the singers I highlight on this blog.
• Read the Bible.  I find great comfort in Psalms, 2 Corinthians, Romans 8, Colossians 1 and 2 Timothy when I need comfort.  I will even write the scriptures that I need on 3×5 cards and tape them to my mirrors or in front of the kitchen sink so I see them everywhere I go in my home.
• Listen to a Minister of the Gospel who is skilled in Righteousness.  I usually turn to Joseph Prince, Joyce Meyer, or the pastor of the church I am attending.  You Tube is a great resource or God Tube.
• Write my prayers and thoughts in a journal.  This is how I get my feelings out to the Lord; I write my journal to Him.  I can go back and read where I was in complete distress and see the tenor of my thoughts change as He gave me a scripture or picture of something that softened me.
• Call a trusted friend and ask them to agree with me in prayer.  If I am really struggling with breakthrough on my own, I will call a trusted friend and ask them to pray with me.  Many times I have left those times feeling His comfort and presence that refreshed and restored my outlook of God and His Love for me.

No matter where you are or why you are on the path of suffering, He is there, His comfort is there, His love is there.  Even when you feel your loneliest, the most failed and the most rejected you can trust that His word is true and that He hasn’t left you.  Don’t let your lack of understanding dictate who He is to you.  He will not forsake you in your strength and He will certainly not forsake you in your weakness.  You are His Beloved.  He holds your world in His hands.

“Be   not  overcome   of  evil,  but  overcome evil with good.”  Romans 12:21

I am excited to announce that today marks the 1 year anniversary of this blog!!!  It has been an incredible year of growing in the grace and love of Jesus for me!!  I have learned so much and want to personally thank you for all of your encouragement and faithfulness!!

I don’t know about you, but sometimes when I look around the world it can be quite discouraging.  We long for the more lasting place of comfort carved away for us in eternity, yet, we still are called to stand here and let our lights shine to this world.  It is not a comfortable place or enjoyable most days, but it is essential, vital and the basis of who we are called to be in Christ…..disciple-makers.

So, our obedience to His voice eats away at this elephant one bite at a time…. with the fork we’ve been given from Him!  And we dine at His banqueting table…. all the while His banner over us reading LOVE!!!  What a beautiful picture of His bride!!

Today, whatever part of the elephant He has chosen to give you, eat at it with all of your heart for the Glory of God, not man.  No matter how insignificant or grand you believe your portion to be is of no consequence, it is what is done in faith and obedience to the call of your Lord that will remain.  Don’t judge the works of God and His sovereignty by the papers, the news or even your own feelings.  He is Lord!!!  We are lights!!!  We must continue to shine!!!

I had no idea what I would face when I started this blog.  I heard the Lord say write and I dove in.  Not sure if anyone would want to read it, not sure if I would know what to write and not sure if it would make a difference….  I chose to write and take my personal bite out of the elephant and I’ll continue to leave the rest up to Him.  The results are His business.  I do know that 75 blogs and over 3,500 views later I am encouraged that our individual  lights can overcome evil with good, one bite at a time!!!!

Thank you for your love and support!!!!  Let’s all continue to put our lights out there, one neighbor at a time!!!

Psalm 4

“1 Answer me when I call to you, O my righteous God. Give me relief from my distress; be merciful to me and hear my prayer.2 How long, O men, will you turn my glory into shame ? How long will you love delusions and seek false gods ? “Selah” 3 Know that the LORD has set apart the godly for himself; the LORD will hear when I call to him. 4 In your anger do not sin; when you are on your beds, search your hearts and be silent.  “Selah” 5 Offer right sacrifices and trust in the LORD.6 Many are asking, “Who can show us any good?” Let the light of your face shine upon us, O LORD. 7 You have filled my heart with greater joy than when their grain and new wine abound. 8 I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.”

He is leading me.  He is leading me in ways I don’t understand, in ways I don’t feel His immediate comfort and in ways I feel His breath ever near.  He is leading me in ways I am excited to experience and in ways I don’t like very much,  in ways I feel assured and in ways I don’t feel equipped to go….  So, I still myself in His presence and I choose to trust and rest with all of my heart in all of the ways my Savior and my Lord leads me….

And I ponder for a moment, if He saved me from the middle of my sin and the pit that I had worked myself into, I can feel comfort in knowing that He can lead me through any wilderness this earth has to present.  He is my leader.  He is my lover.  He is my groom.  He is my Father and He is my Sovereign God.

I can trust in His mercy.  I can trust in His goodness.  I can trust Him with today and with always….He leads me all the way to Himself each and every time….

“Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted.  Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”  Matthew 28:16-20

The eleven were charged with the commission of teaching everything that they had been commanded.  This shifted their revelation of Christ from them only to a radical new way of thinking….a mission of teaching others.  These others eventually included us.  We are living a life of knowing the goodness of God through Jesus Christ because of the initial obedience of Jesus Christ himself and the faithfulness of the eleven.  And if they were to teach nations everything they had been commanded, then that responsibility now becomes ours to fulfill…..but wait, it is not a burden, we were created for this…..

We were created for Radical love!!!

1. Jesus is Radical Love!  Jesus died for each and every one of us!
2. Jesus has Radical Authority!  He received all authority in heaven and on earth!
3. Jesus entrusted doubters with a Radical Assignment to change the world.  Only 11 of them to jumpstart the entire process and the rest of us to keep it up!!!
4. Jesus gives Radical Assurance!  He was always with them and is always with us!

You have been radically loved, so radically love!!!!!  You’ve been given the tools, the power, the abilities, now go and use them.  Don’t sit around in the apathy and depression of the Devil!  Get up and go visit your neighbor and start a relationship on some level.  It may be hard at first, but you were created for the hard stuff.  Stop selling yourself short and trust that God is with you and engage!!  Who cares if you don’t have any money or time, you can give so much more.  Burned one time after another in church? Well they didn’t save you from your sin, Jesus did.  Don’t let any excuses stop you!  Give of yourself and your radical love WILL make a difference.  You were designed to love this way.  You are dying because you are not engaged.  It is like the Dead Sea.  Everything coming in and nothing going out.  Release the Radical life within you today. You were created to be a fresh spring of living water.  Your very health depends on it, your very life depends on it, the continuation of our mission depends on it…what do you have to lose?

“Church, you are Plan A and there is no Plan B.”  David Platt

“So, because Jesus was doing these things on the Sabbath, the Jews persecuted him.  Jesus said to them, “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I, too, am working.” For this reason the Jews tried all the harder to kill him; not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God. Jesus gave them this answer: “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.  For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does. Yes, to your amazement he will show him even greater things than these.For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it.  Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son,that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who sent him.“I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.I tell you the truth, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live.  For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son to have life in himself.  And he has given him authority to judge because he is the Son of Man.  “Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out–those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned.By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me.”  John 5:16-30

Jesus’ motive and His methods were in sync.  He sought to please the one who sent Him and He did that by only doing what His Father did.

Have you ever felt out of sync in your life?  Unsure of your purpose?  Confused?  Felt isolated, lonely?

Study along with me today as we explore Part 2 of Jack Frost’s Slavery to Sonship series and let’s see if God will use this teaching to help answer some questions and get us back in sync in our lives.

Slavery to Sonship Pt.

Shiloh Place Ministries, PO Box 5, Conway, SC 29528

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