The Power Behind the Thought

The winds began to pick up and lightning flashed through the sky. We bolted everything down preparing for another storm, one of many in the last few weeks.  This particular storm came with the threat of tornadoes. 

Suddenly, the unexpected happened. Everything settled down, and when I looked to the skies, it was an array of color. Even though the cloud gave a sense that a huge tornado was on the horizon, it was only a funnel shape cloud with no power behind it.

It reminded me of the way we create storms in our thoughts. We have no facts behind our assumptions.  If we mull it over long enough, we can make ourselves sick to the stomach with fear.  If we entertain a thought long enough, it takes on a life of its own and becomes our reality.

This is the reason Paul instructed the Christians in Corinth to take control of their thoughts. The Lord removes the power behind our imagination when we hand it over to Him. When we surrender to Him, suddenly the storm in our head is just a beautiful cloud formation in the sky...nothing else!

Sneak Peek at Back cover of book...

This will be the description on the back cover for my book....

"In an anxious world where many are seeking rest, this book shares the author’s journey of healing with vulnerability and truth. Though each new chapter builds on the previous one, each also stands alone and can be read for individual nuggets of truth, inspiration, comfort, and challenge.

Jesus wants us to find rest for our weary and heavy-laden souls (Matthew 11:28-29). This book invites the reader to find it in the comfort of the Savior’s arms."

SNEAK PEEK #3....into Chapter 7

Chapter 7 Divine Appointment

Ever get the sense of being at the wrong place at the wrong time? Circumstances go from bad to worse. Or maybe you’ve experienced the opposite: good fortune comes when you least expected it. When this happens, it reminds us how little control we truly have over our lives.

We don’t plan to bump into an old acquaintance and renew that long lost friendship. We drove carefully only to hit black ice and end up in a ditch precariously perched atop a six foot culvert the opposite direction we originally were headed. Whether planned or not, our days are filled with Divine appointments, and it requires trust in the Lord when life takes an unexpected curve.

The Scriptures tell us the story of a woman who approached Jacob’s well outside of Samaria. She collected water at a different time of day than the other women in town because of her unacceptable reputation.

“Give me a drink,” the man sitting near the well said to her.

His request immediately caught her off guard because he broke customary Jewish laws. He was a Jewish man speaking to a Samaritan woman. In her conversation with Jesus she discovered he knew her past and present living situation. By the time the disciples returned to the well, she had discovered Jesus to be a prophet.

The woman returned to town to retrieve others to investigate this man who knew all about her. Many believed in Jesus that day. Their interest began with the woman sharing her story and ended with what He did for them personally. 

Second Peek at book...

Jesus says faith as small as a mustard seed can move mountains (Matthew 17:20). The writer of Hebrews tells us that faith believes in something that cannot be seen. Exactly how does faith work? When I examined the Scriptures, this is what stood out to me:

By faith, Noah built an ark for when the rain brought the flood.

Whatever rain is …

But he obeyed anyway. (Genesis 7-9)

By faith, Abraham packed up his family to go to the promise land.

Whatever that land might be …

But he obeyed anyway. (Genesis 12:1-4)

By faith, Isaac went to find a wife among his own people.

Whoever she is …

But he obeyed anyway. (Genesis 24)

By faith, Moses lifted his staff above the Red Sea.

Whatever a lifted rod would do …

But he obeyed anyway.  (Exodus 14:12-31)

By faith, Joshua marched his army in silence around Jericho.

Whatever that odd command might accomplish …

But he obeyed anyway. (Joshua 6)

By faith, Daniel still prayed three times a day against the king's decree.

Whatever difference prayer would make …

But he obeyed anyway. (Daniel 6)

     We never know what faith may ask of us, but it stirs us to obey like those we read about in the Scriptures. Their courage and the faithfulness remind us of what the Lord can do.

My Book....Sneak Preview#1

My book is weeks away from going to the publisher.  I need help promoting it.  Will you, my dear Readers, post links to your Facebook and any websites you may have to let others know.  In the meantime, I plan on giving sneak previews.

Here is the first:
 

     The first time I viewed the movie, “It’s a Wonderful Life,” it left a deep impression upon me. Before George Bailey made a suicidal jump off a bridge into the cold river waters, Clarence the angel pretended to be drowning in them. After George rescued him, Clarence offered George the chance to see the impact his life had on others. George sees that all those seemingly insignificant moments of his life actually changed the entire course of not only his life, but of those he knew. Would our outlook on our lives change if we were given the same opportunity George had?

     For decades I lived in the world of depression, despair, and hopelessness. My battle with the prevailing desire to die started at age seven. As an adult, looking back over my life, I’ve often wondered how I even learned the full meaning of the word “suicide”. I’m not sure how I entered that prison cell, but I’m confident I never ended my life because of my belief in God, the fear of not going to heaven, and the significant people the Lord had cross my path.

      My inner conflicts over my life stirred from a desire to have a family similar to those on my favorite TV shows and in the homes of my friends. Instead my life read more like Mother Goose’s “Humpty Dumpty” rhyme,

     “Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall,

      Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.

     All the king’s horses and all the king’s men

     Couldn’t put Humpty together again.”

Thought for Dec. 7th

"So do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows."~~Matthew 10:31

If the Lord cares for the birds and even knows the number of hairs on our heads, we never have any reason to question our value to Him.  Yet, we do.  We allow our circumstances to determine the way we think the Lord feels about us.  We believe the lie that since life is difficult, He must not care about us.  The enemy of our soul revels when we fall into this trap.

We continue in the enemies deception when we say, "I can't help the way we feel."  The truth is, we can.  Our feelings are determined by our thought patterns and what we choose to dwell on there.  It's the reason we're told to capture all our thoughts and bring them into obedience to the Lord.

When we line our thoughts up to God's truth, then we actually change the way we feel.  We gain His view on what is happening in our lives.  The truth is:  the Lord values us and proved it.  Of all His creation, we're the only one He created in His image and sent His one and only Son to die for our salvation.  We have no reason to fear, so may we live in this truth!

Thought for Dec. 6th

"You will make known to me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; in Your right hand there are pleasures forever."~~Psalm 16:11

In this short verse three promises have been bestowed to us.  It's the Lord's desire for us to see them, to want them, and to seek after them.

1)  The path of Life
2)  Fullness of Joy
3)  Pleasures Forever

Here they are made known to us, but they become our reality when we seek to be in the presence of the Lord.  He wants us to pursue Him.  He yearns for a relationship with us but will not force us to want one with Him.

The truth is, whatever depth we seek to have with Him, He freely gives it to us.  If we seek a shallow relationship with Him, we will get it.  However, if we desire one that is filled with knowing and being known, we will get it too.  The deepness and richness of our relationship with the Lord is entirely up to us.

He promises so much when we seek Him with all our heart, soul, strength, and mind, but we only receive that which we seek after.

What are you seeking with Him today?