Ground Breaking

Hosea 10:12 & 13

Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the Lord, till He come and rain righteousness upon you.

Ye have plowed wickedness, ye have reaped iniquity: ye have eaten the fruit of lies:because thou didst trust in thy way, in the multitude of thy mighty men.

I have been doing the Bible study, "Seeking Him," by Nancy Leigh DeMoss. This Scripture, is a part of the first lesson. It hits, hard.

I'll have to admit, I've been a willing vessel-not only to do the work of the Lord and whatever it was I "thought" He wanted me to do....but also, to "not" do what He has wanted me to clearly do (or refrain from). The moments of the latter...is the developing of my "fallow ground."

The ground can get pretty hard and unusable, when neglected...wouldn't you say? The farmer's soil left uncared for will develop weeds, thorns, and pests- these things can & will, totally choke out all the "fruit" that has been planted in that soil...just as the seeds that God has placed in me for later "crop sharing purposes," my soil (soul)-needs to be cultivated. Watered. Fertilized. Kept clean and fresh. Nourished.

The expression, "Break up your fallow ground" (Hsa 10:12; Jer 4:3) means, "Do not sow
your seed among thorns", i.e., break off all your evil habits; clear your hearts
of weeds, in order that they may be prepared for the seed of righteousness. Land
was allowed to lie fallow that it might become more fruitful; but when in this
condition, it soon became overgrown with thorns and weeds. The cultivator of the
soil was careful to "break up" his fallow ground, i.e., to clear the field of
weeds, before sowing seed in it. So says the prophet, "Break off your evil ways,
repent of your sins, cease to do evil, and then the good seed of the word will
have room to grow and bear fruit."

By His Word, I can quickly recognize, that I am STILL , such a work in progress. I have weeds that need to be cleared, and specific thorns that need to be plucked out of my life.

It's time to break up my fallow ground.

I am thankful and grateful today, for a God that knows just what I need, and exactly when I need it. Personal revival. On it's way...in a matter of time. All by choices that I can make (some pleasurable, some painful) -in obedience to Him.

Simple, really. God will easily give us the desires of our hearts... when our hearts are in tune with His will.

What I Learn From my Dogs

Yes, you got the title clear. Seems silly, but so true.

I have two dogs. Mollie, my older dog (about 7), is a Terrier mix- looks like Benji. The younger, Cocoa (9 months), is a Yorkie.

Mollie's personality over time, has become that of total obedience and faithfulness. You couldn't ask for a better animal to keep. She's so smart. Cocoa on the other hand, is a little feisty, sometimes rebellious, A.D.D. sort of dog. So funny, that although they are much alike in species, they are so different in nature.

I watched them this morning, thinking of how much they reminded me of humans and how we family members can be so much the "same in species (DNA), but yet so different in our natures.

Mollie came to me and laid herself down at my feet on the cold floor as I sat down thinking about doing my Bible study. Cocoa, she just did her own thing over to the side on the nice, plush doggie bed. They both get lots of love and taken well care of...maybe even the baby gets more, "because" she's the baby- yet she chooses not to draw near to me this morning.

I realized suddenly that God wanted to teach me a lesson this morning- that what I was viewing was a picture of what we are, as opposed to what Christ WANTS from us- and all for our very best interest.

Mollie, was the picture of what Christ WANTS from us. Cocoa is "what we ARE."

Mollie chose to sit at the feet of her master-no matter how uncomfortable the circumstances were. Cocoa- she was all about herself and her comfort- and to her detriment- she didn't get the blessing of the love poured out on her from displaying her adoration and love for her master. Mollie reaped the benefit of doing what was best for her, and Cocoa didn't. Mollie has matured into knowing that this was the better part. Cocoa is still in the "baby phase" of her life, and missed out.

I suddenly felt the WOW factor. That "ah-ha" moment, when God clearly shows you something about your own self, through something so silly as a pair of dogs.

It's a shame I have to be reminded so much.

Sometimes I am annoyed by Mollie's repetitive following of me, and being right up underneath my feet. She just loving stares up to me with such admiration and faithfulness to her master-whether or not I'm paying attention to her-whether or not I act like I care for HER.

God expects this kind of love and attention from us. We, however, have the benefit that HE will love us madly- at ALL TIMES...and it's never conditional. He's never annoyed by our pleadings, our following Him, our desire to be near Him. He absolutely LOVES it, as a matter of fact.

Scripture gives us clear direction in this...

Jer 29:11-14

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.

Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you.

And ye shall seek me, and find [me], when ye shall search for me with all your heart.

And I will be found of you, saith the LORD.

*WE MUST COME TO GOD IN AN HUMBLENESS, WITH GREAT LOVE AND EXPECTATION, IN ORDER TO BE SHOWERED WITH HIS CLEANSING & RECEIVE HIS BLESSINGS.

Jam 4:6-8

But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but

giveth grace unto the humble.

Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse [your] hands,

[ye] sinners;

and purify [your] hearts, [ye] double minded.

I'm feeling a bit double-minded this morning. Guilty, is more like it. Guilty of not casting my every care at HIS feet that I may be blessed. Guilty of "not" laying at the feet of Jesus near enough. No WONDER I get overwhelmed with the every day cares of this world much too often. It's my own fault.

1 Peter 5:5-7

Yea, all [of you] be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.

Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:

Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

This whole dog thing this morning, put me in mind of the story of the sisters in Scripture, Mary and Martha- and how God showed them what the "better part" was. Martha was hung up in trying to "serve" him and be the "good doer," when all Christ wanted from her, was her love in worship- so that He could bless her. He WANTS us to learn of and from Him.

We humans get so hung up in "making things happen," that we tend to sometimes forget WHAT the "better part" is. It is spending time at the feet of the master.

Luke 10:38-42

Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him (Jesus) into her house.

And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet, and heard his word.

But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me.

And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things:

But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.

As crazy as it sounds...I am thinking I must purpose myself be more like my Mollie, and less like Cocoa. More like Mary, and less like Martha.

Time to delve into the Word and humbly bow at the feet of Jesus this morning! Purposing a RITUAL of this seems good here... ;)

Give Me Oil In My Lamp

To keep a lamp burning we have to keep putting oil in it.-- George MacDonald

I saw this quote above, today-in an email that I received with Scripture from Matthew 25, 6-13:

"And at midnight a cry was heard: ‘Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!’ Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ But the wise answered, saying, ‘No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.’ And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut. Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’ But he answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming." ----- Matthew 25:6-13 (NKJV)

We certainly have no idea when Christ shall come to gather His people up. I had to ask myself upon reading this: Are you REALLY oiling up? Are you preparing the way? Are you preparing with haste, the bride for the Bridegroom?

Or, are you going to be caught unprepared? Unready? Naked before the Lord? I want to be caught with my full armor on...ready for the battle. Ready to withstand whatever must come my way. Ready for His appearing. Ready to receive His Glory. That's a huge commitment if you know the Bible in its truths. You must make ready yourselves, for His returning. You must continually put oil in your lamp, if you want to be ready when the end is here.

With all this bad weather the last couple of days, I must say- you have time to THINK. Stuck in the house, iced-in. I had to think about making sure that there was a flash light by the beds, the water was dripping in each sink and tub, candles were close by, and we had plenty of groceries to get us through a few days. With this weather, we were forewarned.

God has forewarned us that Christ's appearing is to come. Because we were not privy to being given a "day" or an "hour," we must be continually making ourselves ready.

So what does it take to be "ready?" Well, it most assuredly takes accepting Christ as your own personal Lord and Savior. This cannot just be "decided" upon reading something like this. Scripture tells us that we must first, be drawn by God. He must convict us of our sin, show us our need of a Savior, and draw us by the power of HIS Holy Spirit. It does not work for "man" to try to "talk us into" being saved. Man has good intentions, but no POWER. YES, we are to share the Gospel. But- only God can bring the conviction, repentance, and salvation that's needed to give us eternal life. No man on Earth can accomplish that task.

Jhn 6:44

No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.

Jhn 6:65

And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father.

We must also make ourselves ready through the study of God's Word. After all- it IS His "instruction manual" for our daily lives. It's our OIL for our lamps.

The picture above, is one that I took in Africa in September of 2010, while we were passing out booklets of John and Romans. THE GOSPEL. She was fueling, here by reading it right away. Hopefully, it was to either plant the seed for salvation, or to grow her in her spiritual walk with Christ (if she was already saved). Either way- it was an attempt to provide oil for her lamp.

We also must PRAY. God expects us to seek Him.

Isa 55:6

Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:

Psalm 119:9-11 9 Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word. 10 With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments. 11 Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.

I want to be caught with the Word hid in my heart, and expressed from my lips and my actions. With a song on my lips-of praise to God. Souls written down in the Lamb's Book of Life, because I made sure I planted seeds for the Harvester to harvest. All sin, confessed and cleansed white as snow.

A close, personal, intimate relationship with God...not the kind that runs to Him only if I am in trouble. The kind that I seek Him, and I find Him. Daily. The kind of relationship that makes the song come to life: "and He walks with me, and He talks with me, and He tells me I am His own...and the joy we share, as we TARRY there...none other, has ever known." These are the kinds of things that put "oil in our lamps."

So, we have to be saved by the blood of Jesus Christ, just to even HAVE a lamp. No relationship with God = unprepared. Unready. Doomed to a devil's hell.

God forbid, that I would be told by Christ Himself, "depart from Me, I never KNEW YOU!"

How CAN He know me, if I have no real relationship with Him? Do I keep the oil full in my lamp, that it may shine ever so brightly for Him to see me down here? He has to be able to see me, hear from me, and KNOW ME, to take me up with Him when He comes.

We must spread the Word. Time is running out. Get our lamps oiled up. ASK GOD to give you oil in your lamp to keep you "burning, burning, burning."

Junk in My Trunk

Funny thing happened, TODAY.

I had a plan. I had goals. I was going to be a walk-in visit to the chiropractor, then off to the gym for a good workout, then to work. In that order, thank you very much.

God had other plans.

For whatever reasons, I had been already thinking about my Christian t-shirts, and the fact that I had not really been wearing them lately. I thought about all those folks at the gym I come in contact with almost every day, that could be witnessed to, through conversation surrounding those phrased shirts. So, I decided I should wear one-today. I wore a black t-shirt with white writing across the middle that said, "Got Jesus?"

The traffic was unusually bad this morning on Hwy 155. I griped to myself about how I was barely going to be able to get these two runs accomplished with all this slow traffic out here.

Well, not even 2 miles up the street from my house, the woman in front of me came to an abrupt stop. Thankfully, I saved enough room between me and her, to be able to safely stop. The woman behind me, however- could not. She was following too close. She rear-ended me good. I found myself immediately mad, because this was "throwing a wrench in MY plans!"

I called 911, called my husband, and sat there a few minutes, just calming down. God reminded me of what MY SHIRT read- and that it would be either painfully clear that I had Christ IN ME, or "not," depending on my attitude I got out of that car with! So, I willfully chose "yes" to His reminder of gentle expression.

Job 23:16

For God maketh my heart soft, and the Almighty troubleth me....

The woman was distraught that she had hit me. She sobbed bitterly to the point that I was worried about her. She was not physically hurt, but very broken. I think she was worried that I would develop injury from the hit. I assured her that I was ok, and everything was FINE. I explained to the police that she merely followed too closely, and hit me on a quick break. He asked me if I had any complaints....because if I did not, he would charge her at fault, and file no citation against her. Her husband had shown up, and told me that his grandmother had just died, and they were going to a funeral shortly.

Obviously, not a good day at all for this woman and her family. I let him know that I would by no means cause them any more grief than this has already done. I figure, as long as their insurance covers the repair on my car, I'm good.

So, lesson for today? My plans... mere rubbish. God has a different idea than me, USUALLY.

This woman needed a kind word, a soft tone, a sweet spirit- that only God can deliver, and He does this through His people sometimes. I can only hope that She saw Jesus in me, by the way I handled myself, AND HER. Did she see my shirt? I'm certain. Life and death was being addressed today... in more ways than one for this family. I hope that somehow...today was a successful day in the Lord with this servant. I believe that sometimes, folks can get a multitude of words, just in your actions. Sometimes you don't have to say anything at all, to give a clear message. Scripture says it is good to be more of a listener, rather than a talker.

Ecc 5:1-3		Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God, and be more ready to hear, than to give the sacrifice of fools: for they consider not that they do evil.
			Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter [any] thing before God: for God [is] in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few.
			For a dream cometh through the multitude of business; and a fool's voice [is known] by multitude of words.

With regard to the Lord... are YOU "following too closely?"

I SURE HOPE SO!

Psa 145:9

The LORD [is] good to all: and his tender mercies [are] over all his works.

Dying more every day

Psa. 119: 75-78 & 80

I know, O Lord, that Thy judgements are right, and that thou in faithfulness has afflicted me.

Let, I pray Thee, Thy merciful kindness be for my comfort, according to Thy Word unto thy servant.

Let Thy tender mercies come unto me, that I may live: for thy law is my delight.

Let the proud be ashamed;for they dealt perversely with me without a cause: but I will meditate in Thy precepts.

Let my heart be sound in Thy statutes; That I be not ashamed.

I am finding more and more that I need to speak less and less. Sometimes, God's Word says PLENTY without any help from me.

I lean on the everlasting arms of God right now.

I'm counting on His presence to sustain me, to fill me, to heal me, to restore me.

I have all too often wondered the "why" of what God is up to. Why He would afflict me so often and for so very long. Sometimes I think "wow- I must have skin of iron, because God keeps testing it out by purging my flesh!!!"

So be it Lord, that Your perfect plan (not mine) be fulfilled. You know what's best. My plans do nothing but fail 9 out of 10 times, anyway. His ways are not my own. (thank God)

I choose to rest IN HIM today. This whole dying to self thing really is hard. I am finding out more and more, that "more and more people" truly do not totally do that total dying thing.

I am praying that He trade these ashes for beauty...and the sooner, the better- but in Your time, and not mine, oh Lord.

Help me God, to allow the power of Your Holy Spirit to take over...completely, and without any resistance from me. I need Your strength to do this. I have no strength within myself to accomplish this goal of Your perfect will.

I count on You today, to fulfill Your promises that You GAVE ME in YOUR WORD. Thank You Lord, that You and Your Words-are TRUE and FAITHFUL!!!!!!!

GET OVER IT ALREADY

KJV:

Mat 6:25

Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?

Mat 6:34

Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day [is] the evil thereof.

Luke 12:22

And he said unto his disciples, Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat; neither for the body, what ye shall put on.

Today, I am thinking...wow. Three verses that tell us the same thing...QUIT WORRYING ALREADY!!!

I have to admit, I am guilty of being a "Worrying Wanda." I tend to borrow trouble, just pondering the junk. Why would I do this, when I know that God has control and He is sovereign?

Satan truly is a roaring lion trying to devour us...and always at our weakest moments (1 Peter 5:8). Funny, being the cunning enemy that he is, he will wait until he knows we are in that grey area of life...and pounce. I've noticed that it is usually, in our minds, first. And he's ever so discreet about it, too. He is good at his job. He seeps in, every so slowly, in a very unnoticed manner...until we have gotten so far in over our heads, we have no idea how we got there, or how long we have been there. Damage. That's his only goal.

My mom always told me "sin will take you farther than you ever wanted to go, and keep you there longer than you intended to stay." Oh the truth to that one. How sad and unfortunate for those who don't ever learn to fully grasp the depths of that statement.

I have thought on these truths today, and once again, decided to claim the promises that I know to be true...the ones in GOD'S WORD. That's the only hope of relieving myself of that Worrying Wanda within.

What can "I" do...really, that's going to change one thing, or one person? Nothing. That's what. It is God's job. Don't know why I would want to pick up that heavy load that only He can carry successfully! Do you ever find yourself dragging around excess baggage that was not yours to pick up in the first place, too? Geesh. I'm choosing to lay it down today. Ya know...it's a day by day choice that has to be made, too. This whole "being human" thing is tough sometimes! The flesh is ridiculous. It acts and reacts ridiculously. I really hate it-therefore, I think I'll again...try dying to myself (as we're called to do in the first place). [Gal. 2:20]

Now, if I can just let me, stay BURIED! :-/

I was reading in Mark this morning, and in chapter 1 (KJV), verses 16-18, Scripture tells us:

Now as He walked by the sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. And Jesus said unto them, "Come after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men." And straightway they forsook their nets, and followed Him.

These guys immediately obeyed and followed. I'm sure it was much easier back then...I mean, they were looking right at at the Messiah! "We" are required to go on faith and faith alone- till He returns. A much harder task...but one that's do-able. I mean, we have that Instruction manual (the Bible) at our disposal!

These two were the very first disciples called, according to Scripture. Jesus went on to do the same with the others, and they followed Him as well.

God, I want to be a Simon or an Andrew, today. I know I must live each day, each moment, in faith and trust until You return for me. I cannot change anyone, any circumstance, or anything, myself. This Earth is Your creation, God-and we are all your creations, as well. I want to live a life conducive to what You have taught me. I need to be better focused on Your coming, and telling others about it...not wasting time sweating the small stuff...the really insignificant things that aren't even on YOUR agenda. Put me on Your agenda, God. Cause me to desire to follow You each and every day, in the fullness of Your grace, mercy, and love. I rebuke satan, in Jesus' name, for he has no place here. I will give him NO ground by which to stand firm and destroy.

I know that if I am thinking of anything else outside of focusing on You, I will most definitely lose my way, and stumble in the darkness, for YOU are the Light. The Way. The Everlasting. My Strong Tower. My Shield. My Comfort in times of distress. I can count on You, Lord. So I say today, that I love you-I need You-and I want You...every part of You, in every fiber of my being. That's the ONLY hope that I have to overcome the wiles of the devil.

Thank You God, that Your promises ARE true, and that you CANNOT lie. So many humans do...but You, do not. It's good to know I can count on that at all times!!!!

:-)

Missed Blessings

Matt. 13:54-58

In the above passage, it speaks of Jesus' rejection in His very own town of people- Nazereth. How sad it makes me, to read it this morning. It seems that when he taught there, they were astonished and they reasoned away in themselves, the very good that He was there to do. They reasoned away their own salvation. They allowed their flesh to get in the way, and become offended in His teachings through their unbelief...therefore, doomed to a devil's hell.

I can read this right now, and immediately think, "wow- what they MISSED. Wow-why, in the world would they not not at least think, "ok, maybe there's something to this, and what do we have to lose, by accepting this teaching?"

As I say all that...my very own flesh has been in the same position, in different ways, and I'm suddenly ashamed in reading this. More often than not, I can have the faith that would move a mountain as God speaks of...I can produce faith that does not even make sense sometimes, and I've exercised it to the point of astonishing others. I am also capable, however- of being called "ye of little faith." Why is it, I wonder, that I have to allow myself to waiver? I'm wondering why "I" can't be consistent 100% of the time. Yes, I tend to beat myself up about things like this- and there is something "else" I have got to work on. I "am" human. Certainly not near enough like Jesus as I should be.

Matthew 13:58 says

And He did "not" many mighty works there because of their unbelief.

This tells me me a TON. This means to me, that Jesus wanted to do great things in his own territory there where He grew up- but you know He had to know already, that they were going to respond this way. He must have loved them an awful lot, to go "anyway" and preach to them the gospel- so they could not say that He didn't love them and that He didn't offer the same to His own bretheren that he did everyone else, all over the place. I am inclined to believe, that surely there were a "few" there that accepted- so it would be worth His trip. Who knows. Scripture does not give us every single detail of every single journey of Jesus.

Jesus did so many miraculous, wonderful things for so many people through His journeys- yet in His own hometown...these people missed out on "many" mighty works because of their unbelief.

I can't help but wonder how many mighty works God would and could have been done in my own life and family-had I exercised great faith at ALL times. Hard telling what I've missed out on, myself.

I also see a parallel in verse 57 that reminds me of today's way of living in us all. It says that these people were offended in Him, but Jesus said, to them, "A prophet is not without honour, except in his own country and in his own house."

Prophets back in the day, were greatly respected for the most part- but obviously, no matter what your statute- you had to deal with (just as now), your own people being more skeptical and much harder on you, than strangers and acquaintances. He was telling them that they, "being His own country," were dishonoring Him as a prophet of God.

I have to wonder after Him having said that, how many in His OWN HOUSE rejected the gospel? Now THAT'S a terrible shame. He said it in Scripture, not me. Jesus had many brothers and sisters. Verse 55 of Matthew 13, tells us some about his own house. It doesn't tell "how many" sisters he had...but it speaks as if there might have been quite a few, because it says, "all" being there, when referring to them. And, it speaks of four brothers. Who knows if that means that's all He had in siblings. Mary could have had more after this fact....they had many children back in that day. No birth control for them to choose how many.

So, yeah- my over-analytical mind wonders about that kind of stuff sometimes. But nevertheless- you just have to know and accept the fact, that this be truth: you cannot win ALL, and this means even your own family and town/neighbors...as much as you desire to. You just have to keep on, keeping on-building your faith, building the bridges that will help others to cross over to a new life.

After having read this, this morning...I want to be purposeful in strengthening my faith and exercising it OFTEN...so that I can't be guilty of God passing me up from time to time with the dishing out of those "mighty works" that He WANTS to do in and through me. I don't want my "un"belief to be the cause of Him passing me by in this day.

I am sad to admit, that I am certain that He has HAD to pass me up quite a few times, because of my fear, my anxiety, my doubts, my stupid feelings. UGH. I know I can't "trust" my feelings...so why do I honor them so much, so often? I should probably kick myself as I write this. The ONLY thing I can always rely on, are God's Truths, which are contained in that wonderful Instruction Manual- the Bible.

He loves us too much and I know that, for me to allow satan these footholds of stumbling blocks that he wants to infect my flesh with, and deprive me of those mighty works of blessing.

I am ready to accept the blessings today. I am claiming the promises in this day.

Gotta take it day by day, right? After all- I "am" human. Wish I could be more perfect. I can't, but I can, "strive" to be more righteous in my walk with the Lord. Today is the day.

You all have a wonderful weekend now, ya hear? I'm going to! :-)