Will Job Justify God, or Justify Job?

Beautiful Saturday Morning My Friends!

Two things before we finish up with Job today.  It was wonderful to meet some new faces yesterday, thank you all for joining us and opening up your thoughts, hearts and lives in such trust and humility.  I am always so incredibly humbled myself (and at times convicted for which I am grateful) through our encounters.  AND thank you for the lovely card, again, you all take such strides to make sure you encourage me and show me such love...…….

We came full circle with God’s relationship with Job and what we can glean from it in the present.  For those of you who could not be with us, we missed you as well as your perspectives.  Take the next few days to read through this and make your journal entries – I would love some feedback!

Here is what we saw as we walked the final pages:

We noticed that we had seen Job cry out to God and speak what He believes to be truth, but we had not seen him sit intimately “with God”.  We heard him ask rhetorical questions, but there was no invitation for God to correct Job’s lack of understanding.  He spoke about when he was going to approach God, in my opinion it was more of a tough guy display for those gathered around.  We still heard no tender need.

Recently, I had this experience myself – coincidence, I think not.  I noticed that when I am hurting and vulnerable with a certain person I am no longer willing to allow that tender place to be squashed by their anticipated dead weight haphazardly plopping itself onto the tender unprotected ground.  So I use a wall of defense to protect it, and anger to stand in front of it daring this person to knock me down. 

In case you are unaware – no matter how the other person has treated me to build this defense up, isn’t healthy for me, or the other person.  I have to trust God and get away from the wrecking ball.  This is not my battle my territory has to stay open and inviting…….but we have to know who is not supposed to be in the inner courts of our kingdom.  If you are not familiar with our studies of this and want more information, please let me know and I will give you the archives titles.  (Good news, we will be starting this again on a different level this week!)

As for Job, we also have not seen the first person praying to invite God to speak.  Everyone has been speaking about him saying they consider the wise things of God and their own perceptions or proverbs.  However biblical the theory might be the use has been generic in its practicality.  Job desired counsel; he was imploring friendship and comfort by those that loved him.  He actually NEEDED someone to allow him to be “human” and NOT so strong for everyone else so that he could dispose of his grief and find stability.

 As Job was slammed with their weight, he did what I have been doing – he took the battle stance of defense, opened up his mouth and spewed facts about God, life, pain and despair.   He was saying, shut the gates and grow a heart “Friend”.  You are supposed to be safe, you are supposed to let me be real; you’re supposed to sit with me, let me hold on to something that isn’t going to crush under the weight I feel.  But when I reach out you are like a vapor, nothing of substance or sturdiness is there so I fall – HELP ME!

This is actually good news for Job, he now sees that these people are hurting him, not helping him.  So, he does what any God loving person should do……He starts to pull himself up by his boot straps, thinking logically based on God.  I kind of see him hitting the wall and shaking his head like a cartoon.  He has some sense knocked into him.  He has to explain to these guys, look I was grieving.  I did not really want to die, I just wanted this nonsense to stop, it hurts, it’s uncomfortable……can’t you relate? 

Job doesn’t like that his stature in the eyes of those around him has been distorted.  That simply adds insult to injury.  He wanted them to continue to see him as righteous and upright no matter what.  Yet, he still stands there arrogantly protecting his frailty.  A mighty and strong warrior till the end…..so far.  Within all Job’s monologues, we constantly hear I did this, and I did that…I, I, I……and then occasionally God.  The show piece here is Job’s good works, how He provides etc.  He even is bowing his chest out to God…..ooops!

He lists along set of rhetorical questions for God to answer. He is basically in God’s face demanding: is this what my “good God” does?  Tell me what I have done, common’ tell me so I can defend myself!  He is bating God for an argument all for the purpose of closing Him down – he wants this to end.  These actions are where fear of vulnerability and self righteousness part ways.  There is a grand collision about to take place!

I found one thing Job stated particularly of interest, when he said “if I call and he answered (God) I would not believe that He was listening to my voice”.  To me this infers that Job did not believe that God would talk to him, counsel him or even waste His time in his presence.  Was Job going to waste his time seeking a God he believed was doing all this to him? 

Job then moves into realizing that these so called friends are not able to help him.  They are no more intelligent than he is.   He is now stepping out of the presence of the crowd that has gathered and separating himself from that mentality.  This is awesome!  The next positive steps Job makes is to humble himself by giving God back his authority.  He actually opens up some options to God and requests that their communication be on God’s terms.  Wow, good stuff!  With sincerity he wants to know what he has done.  He is asking now.

Job also makes a statement that his words are done.  God is so patient, he allowed Job to reach the end of his “self” without destroying him.  How very loving, He never left him unattended.  He was listening to him this whole time.  He finally answers Job’s questions, but he used a language Job could understand; rhetorical questions, firm speech, authoritative. 

God was not sarcastic, although a cynical heart would perceive it as such.  God simply stated the facts and proposed that Job give it his best shot to take His place.  Is this what happened with Lucifer, was God in His goodness giving him his own world to “do it better then”?

Job needed to be tested so that he could see his pride.  God saw him as righteous but in order for Job to “reach his righteousness” he had to journey through this territory of discovering, uncovering, repenting, and liberating his heart and mind so that he could be transformed into His righteousness.

These friends couldn’t help him because they were using theories, facts and judging Job.  They didn’t really know him personally, nor did they have much wisdom from living as they spoke.  So they truly were not even close with God or Job. 

Job was doing this with God.  It is like when we try to imitate celebrities or when stalkers think they have this intimate relationship with people objectifying them for their own pleasurable feelings.  It is all relational delusions.  All this being said, by the standards of Gods “law” Job was “perfect”, but as Satan said Job was blessed and comfortably “able” to make sacrifices, help others and what not. Contrary to the whole “kept man” theory of satans though, Job did, in his own human way, “love God”, and felt that he was righteous and fervent toward God’s ways.  He really was trying, but it was askew. 

So there was a bull’s-eye on his pride, God needed to put an arrow in the heart of the matter.  Why?  Simple – he does not desire sacrifice, he wants relationship……His own relationships with us individually and a family relating as a family unto Him. 

His bull’s-eye was Job’s continuous justifications of things – they all stemmed from fear which was the soft spot.  Love cannot operate without brokenness and harm in fear.  That is why God must cast it out. 

Perfect love casts out fear.  The one who fears is not perfected in love.

Today, I ask that you look for the bull’s-eye of fear in your lives.  Where is the soft spot you are guarding?  Ask God to be your strong tower and protect your heart above all else.  He will tell “you” to protect your heart above all else, but he has the walls and vengeance covered.  He does not want any blood on your hands, or your blood to be shed.  He is just that “kind” of God.

 

My prayers covering you as the blanket they are meant to be,

With Love and a holy Kiss,

Candace

Perceived Through Belief

This week we are going to be looking at the life of Job. If the general teachings that I grew up on are anything like your own, then the pictures that you have carried around in your mind are something like this:

The sons of God came into the throne room, they are standing before the Lord and Satan enters in with the group. Satan is asked where he came from and he says from wandering the earth. The Lord offers up Job saying there is none like him on the face of the earth who fears Him and how he stays away from evil. Satan states that Job isn't "all that". He believes that if God did not give him protection, prosperity and bless all that his hands are involved in that Job like everyone else would curse Him. The Lord simply states to Satan,"Everything he has is in your power, but you must not lay a hand on him!" Satan leaves the Lords presence at this point and tries to prove he is right and God is wrong. Which leaves us with the questions of why would God allow all this pain to come upon such a decent guy?

Job lived in Uz we know nothing about this place except that it was somewhere in the Middle East. Probably somewhere in the Syrian Desert. This desert is the same place where the Lord sent Paul for his 3 years of one on one study with God. I am sure these two men were not the only ones that had to learn desert discipline - in fact I think that many of us have been, are in and will be on our own Syrian experience with the Lord.

So let's try and glean something from Job's life. Instead of going back over what we have been told of this account within Jobs life. Let's sojourn through it with him and see what we can find out along the way. Let's look at it as if we are in the cocoon as Job enters in to heal from all the pain and look at all the scenes in their fullness. (I am posted Kaleidoscope Key on http://www.seecreativityspeaks.blogspot.com/ if you did not have a chance to read it Saturday - it is revised as well).
We will start with Job 1 - His character: man of integrity, decent or upright, blameless, feared God, and stayed away from evil. Yesterday we looked at Proverbs 3:6, 7 this is exactly what Job did. knowing this much of Job, I believe that he trusted without wavering in Proverbs 3:8 which states: "It will be healing to your body and refreshment to your bones."
As for family, he had 7 sons and 3 daughters. He had been very blessed and multiplied owning 7,000 sheep and goats, 3,000 camels, 1,000 oxen, 500 donkeys, a large number of servants. He was the most influential person in the Middle East. Now that is something isn't it?
But let's take a personal look at Job - we would think that He didn't have a worry in the world (except all the responsibility of overseeing all this blessing). His sons were might have been party animals it states that they took turns throwing parties at their homes and they would send invites to their three sisters to come eat and drink with them. Job took action, based on his faith. When the parties were over Job gather them all together to cleanse them of their sin by sacrificing burnt offerings for each of them. It reads as thought this were an every morning thing because it states he did this for them "all the time". As a parent, believing the same things Job believed I know the distress that it would cause me. Jobs thoughts are recorded so we do not have to assume. "My children may have sinned and cursed God in their hearts."
Looks like Job had some children, that in his mind were Mr Fools, heading for a collision with Mr Crisis. Today think about how we can be so blessed and yet the people in our lives are constantly draining us of our peace. We can stop and judge them for being so foolish, we can discern the situation and pray for them, we can speak the truth to them in hope of them repenting and finding wisdom, or we can harden our heart to their condition and worry about ourselves. Think about those options today, think about how your actions affect others around you, then pray for wisdom, discernment and faith that will not fail due to fear of evil.
I pray this for all of us,
Kisses,
Candace

I Don't Allow My Heart to be Troubled...it Just Happens!

John 14:1- 6 (NAS) "Let not your heart be troubled:  believe in God, Believe also in Me."  "In my Fathers house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you.  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you to Myself; that where I am, you may be also.  And you know the way where I am going."  Thomas said to Him, "Lord we do not know where You are going, how do we know the way?" Jesus said to Him, "I am the way and the truth and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.

We know that God's word promises that we are told everything in advace in order to not fear.  We also know that we are promised that we do not have a high priest that cannot understand everything that we have been through personally from his own experience.  This is our hope and our confidence which we are warned not to throw away or cast away.  I thank God for Thomas.  No one else asked the embarrasing questions that I need the answers to.  If it were not for his boldness to just put it out there and trust that Christ would not shame him publicly I would be......we'll let's just say in a tough spot for answers in my impatience =D

But as He promised he had already walked this out and witnessed publically to it in John 12.  In John 14 He is simply showing them how to use the knowledge in real life situations.  Let's gleen from that!

John 12: 23-36 (NAS)  and Jesus answered them, saying, " The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.  Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains by itself alone; but it dies it bears much fruit.  He who loves his life loses it; and he who hates his life in this world shall keep it to life eternal.  If anyone serves Me, let himfollow Me; and where I am, there shall my servant also be; if anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him.  Now My soul has become troubled; and what shall I say, Father, save Me from "this hour"????? (emphasis mine) "But for this purpose I came to this hour.  "Father glorify thy name," There came therefore a voice out of heaven:  I have both glorified it and will glorify it again."  The multitude therefore, who stood by and heard it, were saying that it had thundered others were saying "An angel has spoken to Him."  Jesus answered and said,  " This voice has not come for My sake, but for your sakes.  "Now judgment is upon this world; now the ruler of this world shall be cast out.  And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself."

We will be discussing this as well as the questions from this week in all the tomorrow in group - next week for the other groups and bi-weekly groups the following week.

Also we will be referencing information discussed and the post from 2/19/2011 title:  We Can't be Free Till we Allow Him to Rise.

I pray that your faith not fail you and ask that you pray to not enter into temptation.  I also pray that you go forward with Christ through His trials keeping your peace and firmly rooted trusting His love for you / us always.  For perfect Love cast out fear. And the one that fears is not perfected in Love:  think about it, write about it, pray about it and share!

Kisses
Candace

All I Ever Really Wanted Was.......

I now understand why it is so difficult for us to love in a true agape love.  I also understand a bit more deeply as to why we have such a struggle with living within the Zoe Life available to us.  Let me explain what I understand up to this point:

We cannot see clearly because our mind has false images loaded which are used to form our perceptions of reality. If we do not take the time to discern those images – each one of them – then we choose to have miss informed sight. When I asked God to help me understand where I was missing information, or needed correct information to replace false info this was the conversation we had. Bear with me this was many years ago and I had just realized I could hear Him. I am not taking anything out though, you discern for yourselves what is true or false – I pray that God lead you and talk with you in the ways that He knows you will understand.

As always – write about it and we will be talking about it in our next meeting. I am also loading a song to post, if are not able to hear the video I will also post the lyrics.

With love for you all,
Candace

Love is what you are and why you created us
Love needs nothing except, for someone to share itself with
Love is highest, above all else, it covers the widest expanse, until it comes back, it penetrates deeper and deeper never running out of ability to keep going higher, deeper, wider
When it comes across something to embrace, it engulfs it, supports it, nourishes it, helps it, without fail; not for any other reason, but because it is
Love needs nothing it just has to go to something because it is meaningless, if not shared
It is lonely without someone to care about, it needs no doors. It’s embracing, kind, it sees all good and helps to overcome
It protects with such power and strength that nothing stops it, it knows no fear
There are no possessions that mean more, than it’s need to love
No home is more important than the need to supply for others it loves
Time is of no importance, because love never ends-whether in the presence of the loved or not, it exists; it is and always will be
It does not speak against itself, it couldn’t possibly harm, because it is not capable- it only understands and gives all. It wishes to lavish, sooth, comfort, stimulate, to be all it can be......
It lifts, smells beautiful and soft, cool and gentle, yet when needed, it is bold and fierce to protect.
It will always stand before harm, but it does not need to own or hold back; it desires others to fulfill their choice.

Love can feel pain, it can be angry when love is betrayed and others are led away to be harmed
But love never turns its back; it will always listen to truth and embrace truth
Nothing can hold back love; nothing can outlast love, nothing can destroy “true love”
Nothing will exist eternally, except love

Love is the common denominator in all good; without love you have nothing immortal within you and nothing to exist beyond the physical moments
Only love is timeless, weightless, priceless, love simply is, because it is God

God said “tell them —I AM”
To me “I am” is the most powerful statement ever written, have you ever thought about it?

I AM ?
I AM !

We with our limitations try to understand
We, until God has matured us, search our sleepless lives to know the answer to this, to complete it
We are turned around going totally the wrong way when we ask, “ Who am I”?

It is simple math
Who = Am + I
Or
I Am = Who
We are in search of the solution
We are, that is the known, but What are we to equate?
We filll it with all sorts of hypothesis and wrong sums, but the true answer is
I Am = I am
We are not "a what"
We are

We are not objects
We create
WE are not things
We obtain and do

What we are – IS, HAS, WILL ALWAYS BE—
But what we are is not perishable
The objects of life will perish – part, separate from Who we are
Depart or Exist
Objects that are not part of I AM, depart from I AM
Because the object can never achieve what IS
The power source gives power and yet is recharged through contactSimple because it is the opposite of IS – IT IS NOT !!!
Direct opposites oppose that is why IT is pushed down the power of the negative forces repels IT away from the positive
Not by anger or hostility but just by presence
IT is not the desire but because IT is unless IS NOT loses the NOT – IT can not rise, have the forces to over come the energy force that IT repells

Anything of this world is made of this world and it stays with this world.

Dust is but dust, all will decay that is in this repelled arena
But when all returns to dust and the negative energy exists no more the positive will be surged to its completeing links
Now, the forces are here , we are connected but it is just too much material to make the better connection. Energy is week but it is not gone. I think as we remove those power drainers from our environment—self
We even here can get stronger connections
But when we feel the lose we have to find the source
Eradicate IT and stay on top of the repelling forces in our environment
I am because I AM
I will because HE IS ... Always
Today, if you hear
Do nto turn away
Let those who have ears understand
Let those who have eyes see
Do not harden your hearts like those in the past
But listen and follow, do as I say

It has all been laid out
Come to me
My Father sent me
that you might know him
By knowing me

I have gone to my Father now so that the spirit can come and give you heightened understanding
You hear , you see, you understand – so must follow
Speak what I say
Do what he says
Go where you are told
Lo, I am with you always
Even to the ends of the earth
Depart from this world
Pick up your cross and follow me

I Am etched in your heart
I Am the words you speak
I Am the only way
I Am life
I Am strength
I AM confidence
I Am charity
I Am love
I Am all you will ever need and all you were created to be
I Am never far from you
I did complete the task
I did win the war
But you my child were created to finish what I started
I began a new quest, the old past away
It is done, but a new beginning was ignited
That is the purose to finish what was started
That will be the end of the age

That was, IS the plan
All power has been granted
All words spoken
All time closed
All purposes drawn
Time does not exist
Only fulfillment
Listen to me, listen carefully....
Come – I am in the wind like a dance of free movement
Even when still, I still exist
Where does the wind begin
Where does it end
The wind carries all, even the things you can’s see
The wind can destroy or it can lift
The wind can force into the ground or it can rise all above
Object can block the wind but they can not stop it

The wind is not selective of what it carries, it carries the good with bad and chooses the destinations of each
The wind does not worry about an outcome, it just continues
The wind does not stop, day or night, season or year
The wind just exists with all its power and gentleness
The wind controls all, nothing controls the wind
Wind and Love are all that Just are, and all that can not be stopped.

SEE?

I cannot take the heat - this girls goin' home

standing on my own 2 feet - standing alone

I'm just a little weary of - all the talk and all the buzz

and all I ever wanted was - the feeling I had with us

I cannot take the heat - guess I'm letting go

I'm tired of stitching up my dreams - with this thread of hope

A silly believer of - twin hearts and timeless love

and all I ever wanted was the feeling I had with us

the road of life is rugged - any road you choose

when I find the other side - I'll look for you

I cannot take the heat - and so I'll say goodbye

A million things I never said - and didn't even try

cause words are cheap and sometimes cruel

and stuff we hear is seldom true

And all I ever wanted was the feeling I had with you

yeah all I ever wanted was the feeling I had with you

God is Not About YOUR Success - by Os Hillman

"I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life" (John 12:24-26).

God is all about your death so that HIS success can be realized through you! This is why the Church is having such little impact - there are too many believers who have not yet died to their old nature so that Christ can live fully through them. When believers come to the end of themselves they will lose their lives to Him and live through the power of the Holy Spirit and begin to see the reality of a living gospel that impacts lives, workplaces, cities and nations.

"Much of modern Christian enterprise is 'Ishmael.' Born not of God, but of an inordinate desire to do God's will in our own way - the one thing our Lord never did," said Oswald Chambers. The psalmist describes what it means to live in our own strength:

"Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain. In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat - for he grants sleep to those he loves" (Ps 127:1-2).

How does one die so that Christ can be our all and all? It usually takes a crisis of significant proportions for most people to relinquish the control of their lives. It means we come to the end of ourselves and our striving to control the events in our lives and we finally come to the place where we can say, "Lord, I surrender. Please take full control of my life."

Have you come to this place with God in your life? Let go and let God make you a success His way.

After reading this devotional by Os – I was reminded of something in my journal back in 2003 or 4. After reading it I thought I would share it. I understand much of it now – but do not want to change any words because this is a journey and a process. Where ever you are know that God is always watching over you, teaching you, growing you. His desire for you is abundant love….no matter what it looks like from our eyes and mind ‘this day”. I am on the other side of where I was; much like Alice and her looking glass. God has truly grown me to understand what He told me so long ago: The sojourn is the answer; the questions an endless plight….Be still and know that I am God…and I love you: deeply, honestly, passionately, freely – always in all ways.

God let my spirit help me understand your will. I love you and I know you are with me. Please talk to me. What am I feeling? This talks to me so: Beautiful, wondrous is what you are to me. I love you still you have always been mine I am always here for you. I am your lord and you are my child I embrace you as you embrace me. You have always been mine, now you only see me this world cannot have you Candy you are mine and I will and have saved you.

Where did it all go? That was weird! You know me Father; you know my heart because it is yours. Your heart is strong, your mercy great. Let it all go. You are not about this world. Let me take you there. Follow. You have peace because you live in me. I dwell in you. You are save and at home. I will nurture you and I am embracing you. You are part of a big home. That will never end. You have been on a journey to learn. I am about to let you be…. Be what? What you are to be. There is one thing…. What is the one thing? Follow me. I hear you; I desire you…. I will follow. Are you sure? That frightens me… what are you asking? That is the one thing. How can you be afraid if you are ready? There is no fear in love. Would I ever hurt you? This world will hurt you; not me! You are safe in me. Give it time. It will come. Don’t be cautious with me, your discernment is for this world not for my kingdom. You have been broken; you tried to fix it…. there are still a few things. Father, stop the business, let me be only busy for your purposes. I don’t care about this world. I don’t want comfort that is of this world; I want to live and breathe your comfort. Have I always been with you, I mean, as you have always been? Have we all always been? What is this we are playing out? What is our purpose? Is it “the solution to our will”? If that is the case, I just want to say I don’t want to have a will separate from your will - I want to only see you. I have known some “great” men here… I have yearned for their love. I get it now; I was to yearn for you first. And I realize that if it had not have happened this way I would not have developed as you needed me.

Why wind? Why fragrance? Why sunshine? They are all beauty you desire. The wind embracing and refreshing you; the touch of the sun on your flesh; the beautiful smells which engulf and propel you…..it is just simple things I can do to bring my love into and around you. I do not want to type what I am thinking….. Will you help me with this one? Why does it still hurt so? Why do I long so? I know….they are beautiful memories. If things could have been different they would have been different but they are not; I understand. I made my choices. I did not follow my heart. But I did do what I thought was right. It was not what was going to make you internally happy though…. Just physically; right? You did not trust me. You were not walking with me. You were led by fear. Satan is fear. Fear is not a guide - only wisdom and insight are from me. Love you still….. I will always be here for you. The relationships here on earth are only temporary. In my kingdom they will not be as they are here and all will be well. For now I have other things in store for you. You will find happiness…. in me… always! I will not let you be incomplete; you know that. I love you. Enjoy! You have much, you are loved, and you are comfortable.

I do love you father. I always have. Thank you……
Kisses,
C

Be as Little Children

TGIF Today God Is First Volume 1 by Os Hillman

"How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!" 1 John 3:1a

"I have an important business meeting in the morning. Would you please set the alarm for 5:30 a.m.?" I said to my wife.

"Oh, that won't be necessary. Just tell the Lord what time you want to wake up. He does it for me all the time," my wife said.

I rolled my eyes in disbelief. "Well, I'd feel more comfortable if we set the alarm."

"Okay, ye of little faith. But just to prove my point I am going to ask the Lord to wake us up just before 5:30."

The next morning I awoke before the alarm went off. I looked at the clock. It read 5:15. I looked at my wife, who had just awakened at the same time with an I-told-you-so smile.

Sometimes we wrongfully view God as someone we go to for only the "big things." The idea of "bothering God" for such a trivial matter seems foolish and presumptuous. However, when you were a child and had to get up in the morning for school, didn't your mom or dad come wake you up? They were your parents, and you could come to them with the most trivial concerns or requests. Why would our heavenly Father be any less approachable? Perhaps our problem is that we simply have not developed a level of intimacy with God so that we feel the freedom to approach Him at these daily, routine levels. We often operate with an unwritten code that says our needs must have a certain degree of importance or crisis before we come to God with them. This is not God's character towards us.

Does the Lord desire this level of intimacy with you and me? The apostle Paul exhorted us to "pray without ceasing" (1 Thess. 5:17 KJV). There is never a caution to pray only about matters of greater importance.

Today, go to God with matters that you might view as trivial and would normally avoid bringing to God. Ask God to increase your level of intimacy with Him. You may even be able to get rid of your alarm clock.

Is God in Your Way, or Are You in His?

Genesis 1:9-13


Then God said “let the waters below the heavens be GATHERED in to One Place, and let the DRY LAND appear; and so it was.

The first thing that really stormed my mind about these verses today was how awesome it must be to have total authority, confidence and trust in the ability to literally / materially realize what you have been conceiving. I am in awe of what it looks like when there is nothing standing in God’s way. He says it is so…..and so it is. “Boom, there it is!”

That is where a question met me square, eyeball to eyeball. It was taunting me, “If you are made in God’s image and He REALLY gave you all the same authority to conceive / realize just as He does, why is it not happening? Are you standing in God’s way, or is He standing in yours? “Boom, there it is!”

It is not as if I am the first woman ever to be taunted by this question. Heaven’s no! Eve was the first and Satan has very few tricks up his petty little sleeve. So I simply acknowledged that He is a liar here to steal, kill and destroy what God has “allowed” us to partake in. He is NOT that tough once you “decide” to believe God.

If God said, “Let it be so” about anything. We simply have to “Let it be so and get out of the way”. So…moving forward let’s look at the Hebrew word Qavah from which the translators’ derived this word.

What this verb means is:

1) to wait, look for, hope, expect 2) waiting (participle) 3) to wait or look eagerly for 4) to lie in wait for 5) to wait for, linger for 6) to collect, bind together 7) to be collected

When we understand the meaning of Qavah we can’t help but realize that “whatever” entity this verb is a speaking of has already been formed and made. This entity is simply expectantly, hopefully, eagerly, waiting. It is lingering with such a great propensity of how wonderful it will be when it is displayed or uncovered.

Let’s look a bit further into this verse to understand what this entity was “going through”. The waters above and the waters below the horizon were in movement. They were being gathered “into one place”. (Genesis 1: 1-8)

When God gathers something into one place, he sets the place, once for all. It is predestined to be there and available.

We are stopping here today. I pray that you look at what is going on in and around your life. I pray that you ask if you are with God or against God. I ask that you prayerfully listen to his disclosure of facts and that you wait with expectancy for the sight of His revelation.

With the love of Christ,

Candace

Pressed On All Sides....But Not Crushed

When we were in our meeting yesterday, I remembered a blog entry from last year.  I went back into the archives and found it.  One thing I was thinking about after I read it was this:  We know God's word describes us as clay vessels.  We know that He has told us that His light is to shine out of us into the darkness.  We know that we get shattered by things in life which bring us closer to God, which increases His life or light within us.  We also know that He uphold or hold together all things even our shattered pieces.  Think about how visible light shines through cracks in things.  If we had no cracks His light would be hidden inside of us, and He states in Luke that no one hides a light.

Thank you all for allowing me to come in and share your lives with you.  Thank you for always being so real and the trust you extend.  Enjoy your Saturday, it is as beautiful as each of you are to me.

With Love,
Candace

Have you ever had one of those days when you said "God I can not take this one more minute?" I have had one of those days..and it is today!

Here it is the end of the day and guess what.....I am still here! As I sit here hanging my head in shame, moaning, whinning and telling my self to just stop it. I am reminded of Christ and a conversation I had with my daughter one day. She was having one of her own "moments" when being the funny mom that I "think" I am; I was trying to coax her out of it by saying "At least you do not have to die on a cross". Needless to say, she did not like my comedic irony or timing.

All this brings to mind a scripture where Paul was talking to his church. I have knowledge of this passage, but now I am experiencing it. I will just hit the highlights from Chapter 4 of 2 Corinthians vs 8:

We are his servants because the same God who said that light should shine out of darkness has given us light. For that reason we bring to light the knowledge about God's glory which shines from Christ's face. Our bodies are made of clay, yet we have the treasure of the Good News in them. This shows that the superior power of this treasure belongs to God and doesn't come from us.

In every way we're troubled, but we aren't crushed by our troubles. We're frustrated, but we don't give up. We're persecuted, but we're not abandoned. We're captured, but we're not killed.

It goes on to state: The following is written, "I believed; therefore, I spoke, "we have that same spirit of faith. We also believe; therefore, we also speak. We know that the one who brought the Lord Jesus back to life will also bring us back to life through Jesus. Our suffering is light and temporary and is producing for us an eternal glory that is greater than anything we can imagine. We do not look for things that can be seen but for things that can't be seen. Things that can be seen are only temporary. But things that can't be seen last forever.

I can speak of this psalm and sing it from a glad heart:

Who will stand by my side against troublemakers? If the Lord had not come to help me my soul would have quicky fallen silent in death. When I said, " My feet are slipping, " your mercy, O Lord, continued to hold me up. When I worried about many things, your assuring words soothed my soul.

In Psalm 109 King David said, "They surround me with hateful words, they fight against me for no reason. In return for my love, they accuse me, but I pray for them. Help me, O Lord my God. Save me because of your mercy. Then they will know that this is your doing, that you, O Lord , are the one who saved me. With my mouth I will give thanks to the Lord, I will praise him among many people, because he stands beside needy people to save them from those who would condemn them to death."

May we run to God, settle in his wings, rest in his sweet slumber of protection to rise anew in His Mercy each day.
Kisses,
Candace

Which Way Do I Go.....Which Way do I Go?

If you read in the old testement you will see where the followers of God were always "waiting" on the Lord to tell them what to say, do or where to go. For some reason, we think that God only helps those that help themselves. There are things in the bible that tell us we must work as if we are working unto the Lord. But that does not imply that we are to run ahead of Him.


Think about these words from Proverbs 21 and consider that in Jeremiah God asks us to stand at the cross road, ask for the way that is good before we set out. He also asks us not to lean on our own understanding, but to consider His ways which are higher than our. Lastly, He loves us and promises that if we will just listen to Him, that He has plans for us to prosper and not to harm us. So let's trust Him!

(Gods Word translation)Proverbs 21:1 The king's heart is like streams of water. Both are under the LORD's control. He turns them in any direction he chooses. 2 A person thinks everything he does is right, but the LORD weighs hearts. 3 Doing what is right and fair is more acceptable to the LORD than offering a sacrifice. 4 A conceited look and an arrogant attitude, which are the lamps of wicked people, are sins. 5 The plans of a hard-working person lead to prosperity, but everyone who is [always] in a hurry ends up in poverty. 6 Those who gather wealth by lying are wasting time. They are looking for death. 7 The violence of wicked people will drag them away since they refuse to do what is just. 8 The way of a guilty person is crooked, but the behavior of those who are pure is moral. 9 Better to live on a corner of a roof than to share a home with a quarreling woman. 10 The mind of a wicked person desires evil and has no consideration for his neighbor. 11 When a mocker is punished, a gullible person becomes wise, and when a wise person is instructed, he gains knowledge.

I pray that God keep you today and make His face to shine upon each of you.

With Love
Candace

Parked For Now

From Daily Bread Devotionals

READ: Numbers 9:19-23

I waited patiently for the Lord; and He inclined to me, and heard my cry. —Psalm 40:1

Parking my car has been a lifelong problem for me. It really wasn’t a high priority with my driving instructor, so I never learned to back up into a parking space until many years later. He also skipped the parallel parking lesson, and I still avoid that unless there’s enough space for two or three cars.

I’ve also struggled to understand a statement I heard when I was a young Christian: “God can’t steer a parked car.” I took that as a challenge to shift my life into motion, and along the way God would guide me in the right direction. It’s an interesting thought, but it’s not always the way God works. Occasionally, God does want us to “stay parked” for a while.

At times, when Moses was in the wilderness, God kept the Israelites in one place. He led them by a cloud, and when it stayed still for many days, “the children of Israel . . . did not journey” (Num. 9:19). Waiting isn’t always easy, but sometimes God wants us to stay right where He has put us. The psalmist reminds us, “Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart” (27:14).



You may feel that you’re stuck and just spinning your wheels in your service for God. But keep your heart open to God’s leading. Then you’ll be ready to shift gears when you hear God say, “Let’s go this way.” — Cindy Hess Kasper

Praying, resting, waiting, trusting—

These are words that tell a story;

As we wait for God to lead us,

He responds, “Just seek My glory.” —Hess

God orders our stops as well as our steps.

He Sees the Diamond in the Rough, All We See is the Rough.

When we look behind us, do we focus on our mistakes or how God cleaned up our mess. How can we be a proper witness if all we see is how flawed we are.....we are supposed to be showing others how Great HE is!


I pray that we forgive others where they fall short, and that we not remember where we fall short, but remember how powerful God is to pick us up - virtually unscathed!

With Love, in Christ - Amen,
Candace

In The Car Wash

From Daily Bread rbc.org

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you. —Isaiah 43:2

I’ll never forget my first experience using an automatic car wash. Approaching it with the dread of going to the dentist, I pushed the money into the slot, nervously checked and rechecked my windows, eased the car up to the line, and waited. Powers beyond my control began moving my car forward as if on a conveyor belt. There I was, cocooned inside, when a thunderous rush of water, soap, and brushes hit my car from all directions. What if I get stuck in here or water crashes in? I thought irrationally. Suddenly the waters ceased. After a blow-dry, my car was propelled into the outside world again, clean and polished.

In the midst of all this, I remembered stormy times in my life when it seemed I was on a conveyor belt, a victim of forces beyond my control. “Car-wash experiences,” I now call them. I remembered that whenever I passed through deep waters my Redeemer had been with me, sheltering me against the rising tide (Isa. 43:2). When I came out on the other side, which I always did, I was able to say with joy and confidence, “He is a faithful God!”

Are you in the middle of a car-wash experience? Trust God to bring you through to the other side. You’ll then be a shining testimony of His keeping power. — Joanie Yoder

How wonderful to know that He

Who watches from above

Will always keep us sheltered in

His ever-present love! —King

A tunnel of testing can produce a shining testimony.

Reference Verses Isaiah 43:1-13 (God's Word Translation)
The LORD created Jacob and formed Israel. Now, this is what the LORD says: Do not be afraid, because I have reclaimed you. I have called you by name; you are mine. 2 When you go through the sea, I am with you. When you go through rivers, they will not sweep you away. When you walk through fire, you will not be burned, and the flames will not harm you. 3 I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. Egypt is the ransom I exchanged for you. Sudan and Seba are the price I paid for you. 4 Since you are precious to me, you are honored and I love you. I will exchange others for you. Nations will be the price I pay for your life. 5 Do not be afraid, because I am with you. I will bring your descendants from the east and gather you from the west. 6 I will say to the north, "Give them up," and to the south, "Do not keep them." Bring my sons from far away and my daughters from the ends of the earth. 7 Bring everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made. 8 Bring the people who are blind but still have eyes, the people who are deaf but still have ears. 9 All nations have gathered together, and people have assembled. Who among them could have revealed this? Who among them could have foretold this to us? They should bring their witnesses to prove that they were right. Let the people hear them. Then they will say that it is true. 10 "You are my witnesses," declares the LORD. "I have chosen you as my servant so that you can know and believe in me and understand that I am the one [who did this]. No god was formed before me, and there will be none after me. 11 I alone am the LORD, and there is no savior except me. 12 I have revealed it to you, I have saved you, and I have announced it to you. There was no foreign [god] among you. You are my witnesses that I am God," declares the LORD. 13 "From the [first] day I was the one [who did this]. No one can rescue people from my power. When I do something, who can undo it?"

Who Shall I Trust.....What is Truly Real?

Remember God's promises - I will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not fear I have overcome the world. I will always show you the way out.

I pray that our trust increases our faithfulness toward the person of God and that we remember others will always fail us....we are imperfect. I pray that we allow us humans room to fail as we trust God who is within His children...I thank God that He has the plan for our good and He is faithful to complete it.

With love in Christ,
Candace

Vision and Darkness

When the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and behold, horror and great darkness fell upon him —Genesis 15:12

Whenever God gives a vision to a Christian, it is as if He puts him in "the shadow of His hand" (Isaiah 49:2). The saint’s duty is to be still and listen. There is a "darkness" that comes from too much light-that is the time to listen. The story of Abram and Hagar in Genesis 16 is an excellent example of listening to so-called good advice during a time of darkness, rather than waiting for God to send the light. When God gives you a vision and darkness follows, wait. God will bring the vision He has given you to reality in your life if you will wait on His timing. Never try to help God fulfill His word. Abram went through thirteen years of silence, but in those years all of his self-sufficiency was destroyed. He grew past the point of relying on his own common sense. Those years of silence were a time of discipline, not a period of God’s displeasure. There is never any need to pretend that your life is filled with joy and confidence; just wait upon God and be grounded in Him (see Isaiah 50:10-11 ).

Do I trust at all in the flesh? Or have I learned to go beyond all confidence in myself and other people of God? Do I trust in books and prayers or other joys in my life? Or have I placed my confidence in God Himself, not in His blessings? "I am Almighty God . . ."— El-Shaddai, the All-Powerful God (Genesis 17:1). The reason we are all being disciplined is that we will know God is real. As soon as God becomes real to us, people pale by comparison, becoming shadows of reality. Nothing that other saints do or say can ever upset the one who is built on God. By Oswald Chambers

Living Will

Before someone dies, they try to have a "living will" made up. This shows what their intent is for what remains behind from their lives. An executor of this will is appointed to be sure it is fully carried out.
Think about God's will. He says if we know what He has written, the bible, we will know His will. Are we like greedy families taking our battles before the judge to dispute what has been written? We are to be like the appointed executors of His "living word".

Think about our will. We go about daily living out our will, speaking words that form our tomorrows. Do we choose our words as if they are being recorded in a contract? God says we are accountable for all our idle words. He also says that a persons yes, should mean yes; and our no, should mean no. Our words are as good as signing a signature on a contract. That is also the reason for the wise proverbs such as Proverbs 1:31-33 They refused my advice. They despised my every warning. They will eat the fruit of their lifestyle. They will be stuffed with their own schemes. "Gullible people kill themselves because of their turning away. Fools destroy themselves because of their indifference. But whoever listens to me will live without worry and will be free from the dread of disaster." This is from God's living testimony - He has executors taking charge of these words - His angels.

I pray we think about His word, His death, His life and the power that He has. May we have a righteous fear of our Lord and truly appreciate what He left us all in His will as heirs.

With love,
Candace

The Drawing of the Father

No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him . . . —John 6:44

When God begins to draw me to Himself, the problem of my will comes in immediately. Will I react positively to the truth that God has revealed? Will I come to Him? To discuss or deliberate over spiritual matters when God calls is inappropriate and disrespectful to Him. When God speaks, never discuss it with anyone as if to decide what your response may be (see Galatians 1:15-16 ). Belief is not the result of an intellectual act, but the result of an act of my will whereby I deliberately commit myself. But will I commit, placing myself completely and absolutely on God, and be willing to act solely on what He says? If I will, I will find that I am grounded on reality as certain as God’s throne.

In preaching the gospel, always focus on the matter of the will. Belief must come from the will to believe. There must be a surrender of the will, not a surrender to a persuasive or powerful argument. I must deliberately step out, placing my faith in God and in His truth. And I must place no confidence in my own works, but only in God. Trusting in my own mental understanding becomes a hindrance to complete trust in God. I must be willing to ignore and leave my feelings behind. I must will to believe. But this can never be accomplished without my forceful, determined effort to separate myself from my old ways of looking at things. I must surrender myself completely to God.
Everyone has been created with the ability to reach out beyond his own grasp. But it is God who draws me, and my relationship to Him in the first place is an inner, personal one, not an intellectual one. I come into the relationship through the miracle of God and through my own will to believe. Then I begin to get an intelligent appreciation and understanding of the wonder of the transformation in my life. - Oswald Chambers

Testing..1..2..3

This is a great devotion by Oswald Chambers / My Utmost for His Highest, and a wonderful addition to this mornings post.

Please share your pondering thoughts and ask your most outreagreous questions, it will help us all grow in a deeper relationship with God and each other.
Candace

Test of Faithfulness

We know that all things work together for good to those who love God . . . —Romans 8:28

It is only a faithful person who truly believes that God sovereignly controls his circumstances. We take our circumstances for granted, saying God is in control, but not really believing it. We act as if the things that happen were completely controlled by people. To be faithful in every circumstance means that we have only one loyalty, or object of our faith— the Lord Jesus Christ. God may cause our circumstances to suddenly fall apart, which may bring the realization of our unfaithfulness to Him for not recognizing that He had ordained the situation. We never saw what He was trying to accomplish, and that exact event will never be repeated in our life. This is where the test of our faithfulness comes. If we will just learn to worship God even during the difficult circumstances, He will change them for the better very quickly if He so chooses.

Being faithful to Jesus Christ is the most difficult thing we try to do today. We will be faithful to our work, to serving others, or to anything else; just don’t ask us to be faithful to Jesus Christ. Many Christians become very impatient when we talk about faithfulness to Jesus. Our Lord is dethroned more deliberately by Christian workers than by the world. We treat God as if He were a machine designed only to bless us, and we think of Jesus as just another one of the workers.

The goal of faithfulness is not that we will do work for God, but that He will be free to do His work through us. God calls us to His service and places tremendous responsibilities on us. He expects no complaining on our part and offers no explanation on His part. God wants to use us as He used His own Son.

"Help Me....Help You!"

Sometimes I have to laugh at us all.  We can get in such a self preservation mode that we deprogram all of our discernment. It reminds me of the scene from Jerry McGuire when he is screaming through the phone to his client "Help Me...Help You" over and over again.

If we are not careful we will think others are always in it for themselves; not truly trusting them to have our back in the crucial moments of life. We will push them away, or run away from our help, as God says. At times we even use that same broken logic with God. We do not turn to him unless we have no other option, then we beg him to help us.

He is our Jehovah-Jireh. He is always imploring us to believe. He essentially is boldly putting it out there "Help Me...Help You!". Will we trust that while we are out here just playing the game with all our gusto, that He is out here as the supreme manager working all things together to "Show us the Money". We all know His provision is more than monetary, He gives us all the abilities as well as the full prosperity; that is why all Glory goes to Him...Jehovah Jireh! (meaning: The Lord Who Sees, or The Lord Who Will See To It)

My prayer for us today is for us to trust, keep doing our part as we wait with baited breath to see His promises show up in spectacular ways.
Candace

Jehovah-Jireh

READ: Matthew 6:5-15
Your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him. —Matthew 6:8
In my early years as a pastor, I served in small churches where finances were often tight. Sometimes our family finances felt the weight of that pressure. On one occasion, we were down to the last of our food and payday was still several days away. While my wife and I fretted about how we would feed our kids in the next few days, our doorbell rang. When we opened the door, we discovered two bags of groceries. We had not told anyone of our plight, yet our provider God had led someone to meet that need.

This reminds me of the Old Testament account of Abraham when he was asked to sacrifice his son Isaac. At just the right moment, God provided a ram instead. Abraham called this place Jehovah-Jireh, “The-Lord-Will-Provide” (Gen. 22:14). He is the One who still cares deeply for His children.

Jesus said, “Your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him” (Matt. 6:8). He is constantly caring for and seeking the best for us—a reminder that in times of hardship, need, and fear, we have Someone who cares. Peter wrote that we can cast all our cares upon Jesus, because He cares for us (1 Peter 5:7). We can turn to Him in our time of need. — Bill Crowder daily bread devoional.

I know not by what methods rare

The Lord provides for me;

I only know that all my needs

He meets so graciously. —Adams

What God promises, God will provide.