Tag: Hope

We are called not to dis—-

The enemy wants us disconnected, distracted, disrupted, discontent, and in disunity. No guilt or shame tossed from this fellow sinner. Are you dis………ing?

We are called to humility and seek wisdom from above and be an example of Jesus. The battle isn’t with family, friends, strangers, coworkers, any person. The battle is against the dark enemy, not flesh and blood. Scripture tells us to be strong in the Lord and stand our ground putting on the Armor of God.

Ephesians 6: 10-18 (NLT)
10 Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. 12 For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.

13 Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. 14 Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. 15 For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared.[e] 16 In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil.[f] 17 Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

18 Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.

When your mind feels confused or swirling like a tornado, consider the prodding of the enemy. If he can keep you off balance, you are not likely to speak for the Lord. If he can keep you in conflicts and division with others made in the Image of God, your witness to those whose paths you cross is tarnished.

When you know who the real enemy is, you can keep your connection in the right place. Stand with the truth, the Lord will not disappoint. He will give you the responses you need. Pause and Trust Him.

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Stop dis——- ing, put on the Armor of God and live in Christ!!

Poppies

An addition to my “Weeds” post, our hard effort in digging up weeds can be rewarded. You see there are good things under the surface. Dirt and weeds need to be tended and a personal circumstance needs our attention. Good things are possible for those willing to do the work. We can lean into another, the One who created us.

Psalm 139::14 
Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!
  Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.

Jesus made you wonderfully and for a grand purpose. Maybe there are times when you don’t feel His love but He awaits your communication. Just as these beautiful poppies took time to form and explode into their orangy-red glory, every year they bless my garden with their brilliance. They needed water, soil adjustment and weed removal.

You are a beautiful poppy in the making. It is said that sometimes we have to call something what it is until we believe it for ourselves. Friend, You are a beautiful poppy may your face look up to the heavens. There is a God who made you marvelous. Call out to Him.

“Jesus, I am here, show me how to shine and help me to feel Your love”. All it takes is one step at a time.

Next time you see a poppy remember it is a little touch of heaven just like you.

Ephesians 2:10 For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

Springtime into Summer

I was so moved by this song from Chris Renzema, “Springtime”. It lifted my soul, I felt as if I was floating in the freedom of Christ. My previous post, “Weeds” reflects on many of the lyrics. Sing a new song. It doesn’t need to be Springtime, move into summer and feel the peace.

Sometimes, I have to just pause and listen to the music of the winds and sounds of nature. I even shared this with my Millenial child who reminded me, “It’s summer, Mom!! but thanks for sharing it.” 🙂

I hope you feel blessed. Thank you Chris for sharing your vocal gifts and the great message.

Hummingbird

Photo by Skyler Ewing on Pexels.com

Hummingbirds are amazing creatures. Did you know they eat small insects, larvae and spiders in addition to their main source of energy nectar? They come in many colors and live 3 – 5 years. Did you know that their heartbeats at 1,260 / min? Amazing!!

They fly at a speed of 61 mph. They are quick to retreat when startled. They are 7.5 to 13 cm in length, tiny but mighty. I watched a few bathe in a stone fountain on a trip to Glen Eyrie Castle, Colorado Springs.

Seeing the freshly bathed beauties, I was reminded of my first interaction and a lesson from the past.

On a sunny, summer afternoon, I attempted to share the act of repentance to my child. I was blessed with a visit from a beautiful hummingbird as I shared God’s goodness and mercy. It had been a difficult day with conflicts and harsh words spoken. I needed to use a teaching lesson.

I started off explaining, Its hard to ask people we hurt and the Lord to forgive us because our sin nature fights within us. We have to admit our mistakes and humble ourselves.

I shared with my child a time when I didn’t want to admit my sin and how “it bunched up in my heart and made me feel more bitter and less forgiving of another”. “It’s a trap”, I relayed, “set by the enemy to keep your heart bound with chains”. I encouraged my child saying, “Let Him help you with the sin ( mistake), He really will warm your heart and guide you if you ask Him”.

There was pride, tears, anger in her eyes and yet I pursued the heart of my child. We sat on the green metal tandem swing, I said softly, “I will be here as long as it will take. God is here waiting for you to talk to Him. Admitting we made a mistake lets Jesus know that we want to start over and be made new again. When we accept Him into our heart, Jesus, wants us to let Him be the lead spokesperson. He has more wisdom and will guide us if we let him, even big people need to ask for help”.

We want to hide or fly away maybe at the speed of a hummingbird, instead of admit our human weakness. Our hearts hurt deeply as we struggle between seeking the peace of Jesus and the forgiveness from our Savior. Grace and mercy await us. The alternative is a feeling of brokenness and feeling a huge wall between us and Jesus. The enemy hopes we will choose our fleshy nature and stay disconnected from our Creator God.

The push and pull of this struggle reminds me of a tug of war rope. Who will win? Two choices: Confess our sin, seek forgiveness for sins, repent or stay disconnected?

We must make the choice independent of a parent or any other person.

Photo by cottonbro on Pexels.com

My child confessed her sin, asked forgiveness, and we hugged as the swing continued to move to and fro. At that moment, a wonderful multicolored hummingbird flew directly in front of our faces. It peered at each one of us as it suspended in midair. It seemed to nod at each of us, then flew through the trees. I truly felt like that was a blessing from above. You see, we live in an area that is pretty dry and I hadn’t seen a hummingbird before. I have been fascinated with this amazing graceful messenger from heaven ever since.

Matthew 6:26 NLT
[26] Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are?

The grace and mercy of Jesus is attainable. Moments like this one, remind me to look for His hand in every day experiences. Being able to share the experience with my child was breathtaking.

Psalm 62:2 He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will never be shaken.

He will show glimpses of His Creation in new ways. The God who made each beautiful creature wants to know you. He uses even a hummingbird to teach a Mom and Child. Let Him be your Rock, take the risk and let your heart beat to the rhythm of Jesus.

Internet Down?

In this day of internet access, ever had a time when your internet dropped and reconnected so many times your head was spinning? Living in the country has its disadvantages. Another spring thunderstorm with pelting rain and thick clouds can block the satellite dishes. Or is it the Covid remote school and work phenomenon of overworked internet access?

We have become so reliant on our computers and the internet connection. Maybe I just overstepped in my assumption…… am I the only person overly reliant on the internet?

Chloe the Chocolate Labrador By Mary Mesikapp

The day can be joyful or sullen depending on whether I communicate with family or friends. The past couple weeks, I have started and stopped many phone calls and internet connections. Thanks to a firmware update and our rural internet service, time stood still.

Ok, that was an impulsive comment, forgive me, I sound like my teenager.

Time didn’t really stand still, but disconnection gave me time to ponder other more important things, such as, playing basketball with my teen, walking the dog (yes, the labrador benefitted) and spending quality time with my husband, no interruptions.

I spent time in the Bible in the book of Galatians gaining wisdom from above.

The past month, my husband working remote has been a frustrating experience. As he would attempt to lead meetings, I would hear from his study, “oops, dropped again!?” My husband and I would find ourselves, yelling, “Well, did it work… did your computer connect to the internet?” as we attempted to reconnect by resetting the router, checking the cables, connection points, and rebooting computers. As we frowned at each other daily, “Nope, hear we go again. Got to call the service carrier and wait over the weekend to be given an answer”.

What a life. The ebb and flow of emotions so conjoined with a source outside our body; the internet. It gave me pause, have I gotten so interconnected with the web? Do I need to reboot? Reexamine and Recommit elsewhere?

Is it healthy to let my emotions be effected by the internet? What would the real source of connection: Jesus, the Holy Spirit, the Son of God, want for my day? Spending time distracted by outside influence and not the internal is probably a recipe for disaster. Being pelted by hail stones can leave a mark, just as a worldly perspective can block the sun ( or is it, the Son?)

Plug into the Source of Light, Jesus! The source of hope and peace can bring an eternal connection. 

Galatians 5:22 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!

No matter where you have been, what your past choices, or times in your life when wires got crossed. He waits to give you a direct connection. Take the steps to learn more about Jesus. He wants all to seek Him.

Paul reminds us in Galatians that Jesus Christ is available and wants to know us and guide our lives. 

Galatians 1: 12
I received my message from no human source, and no one taught me. Instead, I received it by direct revelation from Jesus Christ.

Jesus doesn’t drop the customer just because the wires get crossed or frayed. He is a trustworthy source were weather such as thunderstorms or hail can’t interrupt the flow. Get to know Him. There are many Bible believing sisters and brothers in Christ who want to be a mentor. It can be life changing. Connection to Him is necessary for survival, peace and joy even if a few thunder clouds may threaten the day. You don’t have to walk alone.

Spring Sunset

Connection with Jesus can help you navigate the weather patterns. It is reliable, it is like a sun shower, warm rain drops mixed with the rays of the Son.

Take the time to reboot and see how your day just may glow.

Believe for it

There are times in our lives when we truly have no idea what God is doing!!! In fact, we never know what God will do in our life or the lives of those we love. We may have been praying years and see no progress from our tiny human perspective. In our high paced world, we expect immediate results.

Maybe we feel like giving up on our prayer for someone we love to see themselves the way Jesus does. We can’t give up! The Lord hears our requests. His timing may be different than ours, maybe His answer is ” Wait, I know it is hard, trust in Me.”

We know the Lord will work in the life of those who seek Him.
Matthew 6:33 Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.

We know that He will bring good things out of suffering.

Romans 5:3-6 3 We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. 4 And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. 5 And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.

We know He is God and we are not!! We know He sees our lives from beginning to end.

Psalm 139:16

You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book.
Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.

It takes incredible faith in the unknown; faith in God. We must trust Him with our lives. It is stepping out of the way of Jesus. It is praying unceasing as a Mamma Bear. It is believing for it! This song describes this struggle as a follower of Jesus. Thank you Cece Winans for putting to song the words of truth.

May this reminder, encourage you to Believe for whatever you are trusting the Lord to deliver in your life or those you bring to the foot of the cross. There is Power in the Name of Jesus. Let His love cover you as you wait.

Who Does He say you are?

 Psalm 139: 13 - 14
13 You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body
    and knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14 Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!
    Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.

Whether you feel the message of these lyrics or not, The Lord is for you not against you. I am blessed with three children from adoption. Sometimes when they are processing through their adoption story they need to be reminded that first and foremost, they are a Child of God. God knew them from conception. They are created for a purpose, He made them uniquely so others can see the beauty and plans of God. I hope this song with lyrics by Hillsong Worship encourages you. Walk in the knowledge that You are Created for a beautiful purpose. Let His love fill you with hope.

Illuminate.

This photograph was taken at an old mountain community church outside Estes Park, Colorado. It was beautiful to see light illuminate the stained glass window. In a way, it is like each person who wants to learn the Word of God. We can take what we learn and illuminate what God is teaching us, sharing what we are learning about our own broken lives and let His Light shine through our stories.

Photo credit by Mary Mesikapp