January 21, 2014

My God, My Needs

Question, have you ever heard this verse:  My God shall provide all my needs according to His riches and glory?

Personally, I hear it all the time.  I even hear it in my own thoughts when I feel like I want something or am afraid.  It is at that point when I have to stop and remember the truth.  The true, unchanged word of God really states: My God shall provide all YOUR needs according to His riches and glory IN CHRIST JESUS.
I paused to day long enough to examine the subtle nuances taking place in the piece of truth this morning. What I have more than final answers are a few thoughts we must ponder and reflect upon:


  • Who is your God? 
  • Is there any lasting riches or any righteousness to pour out of Him?  
  • Do you work for what you want and obtain the desires of your flesh, or do you enjoy what He alone has poured out and care for it with gratitude toward His gift?
  • Do you treat His wealth as disposable?
  • Do you cling till the good things slip through your finders as sand?
  • Do you dig and dig for more till the hole is over your head?
Proverbs 11:24 tells us there is one who scatters and yet increases all the more. And there is one who withholds what is due and yet only wants more.  Take notice this day: Who is YOUR God? Look deep beneath your surface, see if there is anyone you are caring for.  If all you see are your desires to have, to hold, to obtain....then realize the face in the reflection is a small g when announcing the riches of your god.  Your god wants his glory to be seen in you not found in Christ Jesus.  

I had to take that a look (below) this is who I found ~ but it wasn't always His face I saw.....I pray if this is not the God providing for your needs that you RUN.....and never look back!

__________________



If I had not been called
I would not know how to answer
If I had not opened the door
He would not have had entry
If I had not have welcomed Him
He would not have stayed
If I had not have asked
He would not have answered me

If he had no patience with me
I would not be able to share of His love
If I had not needed His encouragement
He would not have made it available

If I had not experienced hardship
I would not have known that I needed Him
If he did not let me face the pain of my choices
I would not have known hardship

If he had no boundary's
I would not learn love and grow

If I did not turn to Him
I would never know peace

If I never desire to know His peace
I would never get to know my Lord

My Lord loves through teaching, embracing, encouraging, sacrificing, giving
He gives abundantly, strength and peace

The strength to face the task
And the the peace to mentally stay focused

There are so many qualities of His love, we have a tendency to only consider the ones that we can hope to accomplish in our own strength.

Until we truly seek our Sheppard, we have absolutely no means to gain understanding; because it is through conversing with Him that He grants us His visions ad understanding.

He desires to increase us because He has massive amounts to accomplish.  We have to be still and empty our lives of our "selves" in order to be filled with Him.  He dwells among us in any form that will give Him room.  He is not one, He is many....He is abundant....He is everyone that wishes to love Him!

He is patient, kind, understanding.....
He is rich, poor, every race and language.
He is every size and every age.....
And He wishes us all to love deeply, tenderly, openly, honestly, truly, passionately, eagerly, genuine....
But mostly ~ freely ~ with wings that can carry and cover, lift and give light.

Together.....we are ONE....we ARE complete ~ we are Christ.

If you believe in God...I ask that you also believe in Christ Jesus - let Him serve YOU and from that wealth know you have so much more than you will ever need ~ now when you believe, you too will be able to give from your abundance in Christ Jesus.

For His glory....forever in Christ.
Kisses,
C

Copyrights Reserved ©Candace Huffmaster 2014
Kaleidoscope Butterfly, Inc.®



January 16, 2014

Go! And Don't Look Back!

Yesterday we were speaking about "Getting Back in the Saddle".  It is all well and good to brush our self off and get the leg up there, but where would we go if we did not have solid directions.  Most of us would giddy-up just to get away from anyone who might be able to rib us about our fall.  But when our sense of self was restored......what would happen to us?

We are told that the Lord is always with us to show us the way out.  Somehow, someway, mightier than any illustrated action hero God always shows up for His children.  My studies caused me to pause and prayerfully ask: But what about all your children Dad? 

If the Lord says move, will you know to ask Him "Where to?" Will you realize that He said move? Will you desire to gather "things" prior to hitting the road?" We are fortunate that the Spirit of the Lord is not just near us, as it was for those prior to Christ Resurrection, He is even in us.  Some of us still need to see and hear from a physical source, like Lot for instance:

Genesis 19:17 And it came about when they had brought them outside, that one said, "Escape for your life! Do not look behind you, and do not stay anywhere in the valley; escape to the mountain, lest you be swept away."

Isn't it ironic that Abraham's nephew was named Lot and the reason for him being in Sodom and Gomorrah was a lot of stuff? God did not rescue Lot's stuff though, He delivered Lot because He remembered Abraham.  Lot's wife however did not want Lot or the Lord as much as she wanted "things". 

God does not need our things to provide for our future.  He gave us what we currently have through a variety of means.  He can and will continue to accomplish caring for us, as HE chooses best.  We need God, but in our comfort of His gifts we diminish the relationship.  We usually, unless pushed see our selves as "self preserved", with a helping hand from the "big guy". We choose to see that we did it and are sustaining, building, giving etc from our own "good things".  Of course we throw God's name out there to "share" in our glory - it IS the right thing to do after all.

God, however, sees "stuff" only as a means to be seen, to get peoples attention and focus.  He is all things: all matter is nothing but particles of His fullness. He desires us to see HIM, not His THINGS. When we see everything through the heart of the giver, we have the real gift: Appreciation of the Lover.  This is why He gives away the right to control us: He wants us to HAVE freedom. 

Freedom is not obligated or entitled, it is compassionate, patient, gentle with those who are still maturing.  God is not reactive to our bad behaviour.  He protects us by not changing His truth.  We need to see the material things, whether they be physical items or daily experiences, in order to know that God is Exactly as He tells us.  When we "come" to know Him, we will know to be listening for Him within all these "things".  Then we will hear Him when He speaks to us; then we will wait on His direction because we trust His Love for us.

Look around you and see how much He love you today.  But realize that His best gifts will not be found in the material items.  His BEST stuff is the love that lasts forever.  So look up, open your mouth and praise Him.  I believe at that moment you will see Him in someone He placed right in front of your very eyes ~ What a beautiful Thing.

Forever in the Lord God ~ Kisses,
Candace





Copyrights Reserved ©Candace Huffmaster 2014
Kaleidoscope Butterfly, Inc.®

January 14, 2014

Get Back in the Saddle and RIDE!

I truly hope I am not the only one who feels as if I start back at the beginning more often than I reach a finish line.  It has not always been this way though.  Most of my youth, I would decide what I wanted and "tada" it would be accomplished rather easy-breezy.  Bumps along the way usually did little to hinder me; in fact they gave me momentum to succeed. 

Somewhere along the way my own view points became less meaningful.  Somewhere along the way my own strength became uninviting to anyone wanting an authentic relationship.  Somewhere along the way my resilience and desire to hit it headstrong again became less attractive to me (and others I am sure). Thankfully, somewhere along the way I paused long enough to look around me and then back. 

You see, I did not start out with this view point.  Anyone who knows me will probably state that they feel I tenderly care about others and always have.  But somewhere along the road the hurt from relating with others appeared to be desiring to overtake me, even destroy me.  It was a process, but eventually I merged in with the mainstream and hit it!  I did not make it too long on that freeway though.  By my early to mid 20's I knew God had to have a better plan than I did - so I paused.

This last year life took me on another adventure.  Looking back I think it was more life taking me than "LIFE".  I thank God that He who began all things holds all things in His hand - I praise Him for using all things for His glory; even the very things others mean as harm.  I know that God will do exactly what He says He will do and that is my prayer;; so may I never return evil for evil but instead request that God reconcile all things into His Divine good pleasure. 

It is due to His word that I can release, relax and rise up to Get Back in the Saddle again....always!

If it were not for His word.....I would not know of His faithfulness.  And if it were not for believing in His faithfulness, I would not have hope.  If it were not for hope I would not trust Him. And if I did not trust Him, I would surely be destroying my very own life as well as the lives of others.  I am sure that is a trust worthy statement!

  Because God's word is much more trustworthy than anything I could come up with, let me end on this:

Duet 28:7  The Lord will cause your enemies who rise up against you to be defeated before you; they shall come out against you one way and shall flee before you 7 ways.

 When I read this today the word before bounced up at me and I giggled.  Yes there are days when I still feel a bit defeated.  I forget sometimes that I am a child of the one and only God and that I cannot be defeated.  I am not speaking of normal defeats, I am speaking of wrong doing, betrayals, hurtfulness of others when it is their intent to minimize a person for their own gain.  Although for a moment they may rise up against you, "Get Back in the Saddle" with your face set on the horizon and wait on the Lord.  Have faith that the Lord is before you and they are fighting Him, there is not one other thing you must do.  Soon He will clear the way for you to Ride On!

Just pray for them as you go.....because His Kingdom has come and He does reign on earth just as it is in Heaven - even now!

Kisses,
C

Copyrights Reserved ©Candace Huffmaster 2014
Kaleidoscope Butterfly, Inc.®