In Christ I am SHE {Saved. Hopeful. Empowered.}
In Christ I am SHE {Saved. Hopeful. Empowered.}
In Christ I am SHE {Saved. Hopeful. Empowered.}
Such great wisdom to be aware of!
In Christ I am SHE {Saved. Hopeful. Empowered.}
In Christ I am SHE {Saved. Hopeful. Empowered.}
Today, I had a first time ever experience. It felt like I was in a movie, in the twilight zone. Is this really happening?
I was almost home. Errands were done and I looking forward to spending time with my family in the nice, cool air-conditioned house (the heat index today in 102F°), but the Lord had other plans.
About a block away from our home, while on the main street in town, before turning in towards our ‘cove’ of houses I had to stop the van — right in the middle of a busy street. Why? Because about half way through that busy street was a child no more than two years old wondering across that street.
She was bare footed, wondering around, holding a dark pinkish/reddish sippy cup. I put our van window down and told her to “go on the grass” “honey, go to the grass” — numberous times I told this little one to go on the grass and finally she did.
Where I was stopped on the road I had to turn right, which I do to go home, and traffic continued. As I remind you, our house is but a block away from where I am — literally seconds away, yet the Lord was telling me, “GO BACK! FIND HER!”
I called my family and told them what was happening and what the Lord was nudging me to do. Then the thought accured to me, “I saw no adult around her” –she was alone.
By this time I had turned the van around and was back at that some intersection where I had first seen this child. My heart raced and sank as I didn’t see her anywhere. I saw the drainage pipes and thought of the water and how she couldn’t swim, and I prayed, “Oh Lord, please, PLEASE show me which way to turn!”
He said, “LEFT!” I turned left and but 5-600 feet later there she was on another side road to my right, still wondering, shoeless, (it’s hot out there), deep red cheeks, now with no sippy cup in her hands.
I stopped the van. Jumped out. Slowly went up to her and said my name and asked her where her Mommy and Daddy are. She didn’t answer. I told her my name and asked “can you show me your house?” (she couldn’t but I tried) and I picked her up because she started walking away again.
Another woman from a neighboring town had stopped as well, she asked if I was the mother (she saw her wondering too– I said no, shared what I had seen) and we determined I would hold the child and she would call 9-11.
This baby girl didn’t know where she lived, didn’t speak her name, just wanted to walk away. I held her while the other lady called 9-11. We gave her water and kept her entertained until we knew the Sheriff would get there.
Then this truck with out-of-state plates pulls up about a minute before the Sheriff (glad it was that close in time). A guy walks up to us women and said, “there you are” to the child. By this time I was holding her again. I asked, “…and you are?” Three times I asked this man “…and you are?” and he wouldn’t answer me, he just looked at me. By now, I’m thinking, “Ummm, you are from another state, you won’t tell me who you are” –I wasn’t about to hand over this child to him. For all we knew, he was watching this little one walking around too — not can do! He could have answered.
By this time, the Sheriff pulled up (I was thanking the LORD!), I introduced myself to him and told him everything I knew, then the other woman who stopped told her story. Then Mr. Out-of-state man spoke up and told the Sheriff, “I’m an Uncle. I’m from…” I still don’t understand why he didn’t answer me when I asked, but the Sheriff took care of him. When they were talking, two ladies in another truck came claiming to be family (none looking like a young mother’s age).
We waited with that little girl for over 20 minutes until the Sheriff arrived and family came, but from the way she looked she must have been out there longer than that due to her feet, checks, and disorientation. She was so disoriented, thirsty, and so very hot. 😢
Happy to report a happy ending, (Praise the Lord) but I am saddened it happened. I rejoice in the prompting of the Lord in my heart, but one thing still bothers my soul deeply; those three older adults (who came for that child) responded to her with yelling, harsh questioning (yes, questioning a 2 yrs old), and more yelling. They did not check her out to see if she was okay, hurt, thirsty, scared, etc, they just yelled at her and justified their actions. From what I could see and hear, there was no personal responsibility taken for this child, this makes me sick. I am so glad that this little one is off the road, wasn’t hit, and that she is out of this weather, but I still fear for her.
I know the Sheriff is on it, but would you pray? Pray for her safety and care. My heart is burdened for this little one. My heart wants to rescue her. I don’t know her name, but God does — so for our sake, let’s call her Baby Claire.
Will you join me in prayer for “Baby Claire”? 🙏
Thank you for sharing in my burden.
God Bless you all.
In Christ I am SHE {Saved. HOPEFUL. Empowered.}
Do you have a God-purpose mission statement for your life?
Over the years I have had a special verse but never really wrote out a ‘mission statement’ for my life, til recently. It is helpful. Why? It redirects thus continually gives purposes and focus, which is vital. Life is full of distractions and it is easy to become… well, distracted, even with good things.
Distractions don’t always have to be sinful or wrong. Many times it is our lack of seeking God first before we say, “yes.” Distractions are cloated in our own piety we call godliness or Christianity that end up drawing us away from the very God we are supposed to be serving or what God truly desires of us to be accomplish for His glory.
Last week in my devotions I read these verses (Colossians 1:28-29) and they hit me between the eyes. These verses are for me. You can have them too 😊 but don’t take mine if God hasn’t given them to you–becuase then you won’t live them for Him.
I would love to know how the Lord leads in your life. What your God-purpose mission is. What your verse or verses are from Scripture and how the Lord has lead you! Would you share your story with me? With others here?
Go light your world for Christ!
In Christ I am SHE {Saved. Hopeful. Empowered.}
In Christ I am SHE {Saved. Hopeful. Empowered.}
“Now these are the commandments, the statutes, and the judgments, which the Lord your God commanded to teach you, that ye might do them in the land whither ye go to possess it:
That thou mightest fear the Lord thy God, to keep all his statutes and his commandments, which I command thee, thou, and thy son, and thy son’s son, all the days of thy life; and that thy days may be prolonged.
Hear therefore, O Israel, and observe to do it; that it may be well with thee, and that ye may increase mightily, as the Lord God of thy fathers hath promised thee, in the land that floweth with milk and honey.
Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord:
And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.
And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:
And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.
And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes.
And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.
And it shall be, when the Lord thy God shall have brought thee into the land which he sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give thee great and goodly cities, which thou buildedst not,
And houses full of all good things, which thou filledst not, and wells digged, which thou diggedst not, vineyards and olive trees, which thou plantedst not; when thou shalt have eaten and be full;
Then beware lest thou forget the Lord, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.
Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God, and serve him, and shalt swear by his name.
Ye shall not go after other gods, of the gods of the people which are round about you;
(For the Lord thy God is a jealous God among you) lest the anger of the Lord thy God be kindled against thee, and destroy thee from off the face of the earth.
Ye shall not tempt the Lord your God, as ye tempted him in Massah.
Ye shall diligently keep the commandments of the Lord your God, and his testimonies, and his statutes, which he hath commanded thee.
And thou shalt do that which is right and good in the sight of the Lord: that it may be well with thee, and that thou mayest go in and possess the good land which the Lord sware unto thy fathers.
To cast out all thine enemies from before thee, as the Lord hath spoken.
And when thy son asketh thee in time to come, saying, What mean the testimonies, and the statutes, and the judgments, which the Lord our God hath commanded you?
Then thou shalt say unto thy son, We were Pharaoh’s bondmen in Egypt; and the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand:
And the Lord shewed signs and wonders, great and sore, upon Egypt, upon Pharaoh, and upon all his household, before our eyes:
And he brought us out from thence, that he might bring us in, to give us the land which he sware unto our fathers.
And the Lord commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear the Lord our God, for our good always, that he might preserve us alive, as it is at this day.
And it shall be our righteousness, if we observe to do all these commandments before the Lord our God, as he hath commanded us.“
—Deuteronomy chapter six
Just as Deuteronomy 6 applied to Israel then as it does today, it also applies to us as children of God, lest we forget. May we not let our God or children down (or next generations).
Are you walking intimately with your God, daily? Are you putting on Christ, daily? Are you spending time in prayer, daily? Are you serving in your local Bible believing-preaching church? Are your children physically seeing you walk with Jesus, daily? If not, today is the day!
You can not talk the walk and not walk the talk. Our children are smarter than that!
In Christ I am SHE {Saved. Hopeful. Empowered.}
It is so easy to forget, isn’t it?
We become so proud filled, don’t we! So self-sufficient, arrogant, judgmental and self-righteous.
Lest we forget, if it wasn’t for the Cross we would all be on our way to the lake of fire. If it wasn’t for the love of God (John 3:16), for that cleansing blood of Jesus Christ on that Cross for me, for you, we both would be on our way to hell. We don’t like to hear those words, but we had nothing to do with our salvation. He does the saving. It is by faith not by works which we do that saves us (Ephesians 2:8-9).
Who am I? It is all Christ! It is because of His enormous love beyond measure that He died for us — lest we not forget (1 John 4:19).
He gave us everything! How can we withhold anything back from God? Our lack of gratitude reveals our core being –saved or not!
In Christ I am SHE {Saved. Hopeful. Empowered.}
In Christ I am SHE {Saved. Hopeful. Empowered.}
To presume is to not communicate with God; therefore, it is a presumption on our part that assumes God will do or not do our bidding. God is not our personal genie.
It is good to be reminded who sits on the throne!
In Christ I am SHE {Saved. Hopeful. Empowered.}
God’s Word is so precious, isn’t it? This morning I sit here writing in silence; the house is quiet with sleeping children and the rain is falling so gently the sounds are so inviting. My quiet time with the Lord has been very sweet this morning!
I love to journal, so I started there because my mind was filled with other thoughts that needed to “come out” so that my mind would be clear once the Word was opened. The coffee is made. I started in Colossians, but the Lord redirected me to Ephesians, specifically chapter 4. Now I am no theologian, that is my husband’s domain, but when I read Ephesians 4:11-16 my mind and heart suddenly became very God-stirred to the point of needing to write…write a not so popular topic at that, but a much needed one.
I don’t know about you, but it breaks my heart when a child of God chooses to live their life in bitterness, unforgiveness, and resentment – which is really choosing to live a life in opposition against God. I know the struggle is real. I have struggled myself on different occasions with all three, yet by God’s grace He has ripped those roots out of my life then set me free (which He can do the same for you), but it’s a choice.
One cannot walk in sin and claim their relationship with Christ as intimate – it is an oxymoron, a no-can-do! Sin always hinders your relationship with Christ; it is never His fault. He is holy.
Just one symptom of choice that breeds bitterness, resentment (which go hand in hand) and unforgiveness is unresolved issues via the topic of “Church.” Now any “unresolved” issue will breed bitterness, resentment, unforgiveness, but today we are being specific.
The “church” topic is a hot one, yet I find it is mainly amongst those who claim Christ; those who have “church” baggage. Now before we launch off (or you turn me off), I know there are some out there who truly have had some horrible experiences – sadly they happen within the church, for this I am not excusing or accepting what others have wrongly done to you. I pray that you have been biblically guided, cared for, and walked with and most of all (you) have chosen to walk in obedience to Christ – whatever the offense(s) done to you have been. Be careful what you choose to hold onto it — it will change your life either way.
Specifically, we are talking about the matter of our own heart. Are we striving to walk in obedience before God – in all things? We need to grasp, that before a righteous and holy God no excuse, no experience, no situation, no word spoken to us here on Earth will be our defense to use as justification for our disobedience. God cares more about your heart, your choices, whether or not you choose to walk in obedience to Him or not in this earthly life, even through the toughest valleys.
In conversations, so often when “church or church membership” or “I use to go to church” or “I’ve been hurt by so many churches” come up, we usually quote, “not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching (Hebrews 10:25). This is a fabulous verse! So True. Clear and to the point. Yet, rejected by many. Thankfully, obeyed by many.
But read with me in Ephesians, “And He gave some as apostle, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects in Him who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.”
Whatever excuses you have used to not obey God, to not go to a Bible preaching church, to stay home or do other things, to not become a member (to commit yourself) of a local Bible preaching church (in Acts they were baptized and added to the church daily), to not serve God with the God-gifts He has given you, to not worship God — have no merit before God. It is not that He doesn’t love you, it is because He loves you!
Excuses are just that, excuses. God doesn’t want your sacrifices or your works, He wants YOU! Your heart – your life, your ALL! He gave us His all, His life – who are we to think we can claim this life as “mine”?
If you find yourself in the camp of bitterness, resentment, unforgiveness, or find yourself clinging onto something rather than walking in peace, obedience, and life in Christ you need to seek God first — confess these things before Him, ask Him to forgive you and create in you a clean heart and renew a right spirit within you (Psalm 51:10). Seek out someone who can Biblically help you through this these heart-idol that keep you in bondage. To not resolve them Biblically is your choice of self-cannibalism. There is freedom in Christ. The Truth does set you free (John 8:32).
I lovingly tell you, whatever excuses you think are valid before God that justify your disobedience do not stand before Christ! We must take responsibility – by God’s grace confess, forsake, and work through the areas the Lord points out in your soul for you to begin to walk in accordance to His will. Scripture says, if you seek Him you will find Him (Jeremiah 29:13). Fulfilling His purposes are far more valuable than anything this world could offer.
Life is short. What we do here on Earth both matters now and for eternity. We do not know when our last breath will be, that is not to live in fear, but to live – to live in the fullness of Christ! God rightfully deserves our worship, praise, honor, and reverence. He desires our growth and best.
I want to tell you a little secret, I do not go to church because I am a Christian. I do not go to church because I am a pastor’s wife. I go to church because I desperately NEED God (without Him I am nothing, I can do nothing) my soul needs Christ and the Word! I go to church because I love God (I am a sinner saved by His amazing grace)!
How about you?
Enjoy Christ. He loves you. We need to look no further than the Cross. Praying for you, friend!
In Christ I am SHE {Saved. Hopeful. Empowered.}
In Christ I am SHE {Saved. Hopeful. Empowered.}
In Christ I am SHE {Saved. Hopeful. Empowered.}
Such a great heart reminder for our soul. Trust God today in what He is telling you through His Word.
In Christ I am SHE {Saved. Hopeful. Empowered.}
Oh Mama, be encouraged today. As a child of God, YOU are empowered, filled with His Spirit, equipped to fulfill the tasks set before you or required of you. You are not alone!
“Lord, strengthen my friends today. Sometimes as mother’s, we grow weary in well doing and reap a Martha’s heart. Lord I pray that we remember who we are in Christ first, how we became your child, and pass your love given to us on to others around us –starting in our own Jerusalem’s. Help us to take serious your Word and apply what You show us through Your Word personally so that we may be able to fulfill Your purposed will. Thank you Lord for giving us strength and wisdom.” In Jesus name, Amen.
In Christ I am SHE {Saved. Hopeful. Empowered.}
To “be still” is a personal internal decision, one in which is either rejected or accepted. To “be still” takes a proactive individual choice(s).
To “know” Him only comes through the choice of “being still” –when we stop inwardly striving, we choose to let go then begin to relax (rest) in Christ knowing that God has us in the palm of His hand.
Trusting God’s control over our own control (which never works out for the best any way) goes again our flesh. Child of God, WHO lives within? Isn’t He that is in YOU greater than your own flesh?
To trust Him is to know Him; to know Him is to trust Him. He is worth it! Be still, my soul.
How is your soul doing, today? May your soul, be still.
In Christ I am SHE {Saved. Hopeful. Empowered.}
“We love Him, because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19).
In Christ I am SHE {Saved. Hopeful. Empowered.}
