Therefore...

"Therefore encourage eachother with these words." I Thessalonians 4:18 The prefix "en" means to cause a person to be "in". In other words, when we encourage one another, we cause one another to be "in" a state of courage. There are so many, many experiences we have to face in our everyday lives. Some of us are extroverts and some are introverts. Each face those experiences in a different way. What causes anxiety in one may not cause it in another. Thank God we are not all the same. And thank God that he is familiar with all of our ways. Our personalities were designed by him within our mother's wombs. There are different things that affect our personalities and sometimes they seem altered. He promises to "perfect that which concerns us". Psalm 138:8 As we walk with him and allow that perfecting, he is able to restore us to a place of his original design. In other words, he sets us free to be who we were meant to be in Him. He uses each of our brothers and sisters to aid in that work. "As iron sharpens iron so one man/woman sharpens another." Proverbs 27:17. We can actually partner with the Lord in the work he is doing not only in our own lives but in the lives of others. As we are "en" couraged through the Word, we can "en" courage others in the truth that, "We can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens us" Philippians 4:13. I love the story of Joshua. Joshua was to keep God's Word in his heart and on his lips and to be strong and courageous as opposed to being terrified and discouraged. The reason for the courage: God would be with him always. The victory was his. Be "in" courage today no matter what you are facing from the smallest to the greatest endeavor. God is with you! Blessings!

The Sound

Over a year before I started blogging, I would send My Backyard Fence out as an email to a specific group of people... now I am enjoying touching more lives with what I hear the Spirit saying. Here is a post from January of this year... hope you enjoy.

Have you ever been so excited you could hardly contain yourself? That is what is happening to me at the moment of this writing. The reason? I just read a fascinating article about a new and mysterious “sound” coming from space. The scientists can’t figure it out. As I read the article, I was overcome by the Spirit and was actually weeping tears of joy! Our Lord is coming! What came to me was the word the Lord has been speaking regarding a “new song”. I have been having intermittent mini-visions I will call them for lack of a better definition, of that "song". I wrote before of how we are that song and of the fact that we, as individual notes, are written on the “staff”, who is the Lord himself. I have been seeing that staff as it ribbons its way through our cities; our rural areas; our towns; our cities; our countries; our world. It is awesome beyond explanation. It is a love song without measure. It is graceful love. God is the master conductor; the master composer; the master musician; the master vocalist. I can’t even begin, with my limited vocabulary, to express what I am feeling inside. I want to spread the excitement and enthusiasm as a huge blanket across the hearts of all my brothers and sisters in Christ. Of all people, we hold the promise of eternity; the hope of glory. I want to position myself on that “staff” exactly where God wants me and even as I express that hope, he reminds me that he has and is positioning us exactly where he wants us. “The steps of a good man/woman are directed by the Lord.” He promises to position us. The last verse in Hebrews chapter 9 tells us that “He will come a second time, not to offer himself for sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.” Not only that but at some point, “Every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that He is Lord!”

Are You Looking?

Thank God for the entrance of Springtime! Signs of it are everywhere. I was reminded of a time a few years ago when my husband and I were taking a drive in the country. My mind was preoccupied with wandering thoughts. Then, as if to awaken from a comfortable afternoon nap, I hear the words, "are you looking?" Whipping my head around in an attempt to see just what I was to be looking at, my focus fell upon one of those beautiful pink, blossoming trees that I love so much. I have been known to thrill at the sight of them as they signal Spring is here. My husband did not want me to miss the moment. As I mused over this remembrance, the Lord began to speak to me by His Spirit those words, "are you looking?" Our lives can be consumed by so many things. We can feel the stretching of ourselves in various directions. Perhaps as a mom or a dad, a teenager, a student, a boss, an employee, an athlete, a teacher, a politician, a police officer, a contractor, etc., etc. Life in this world has it's demands and it's distractions. To be successful, we have to focus to do a good job at that which we are called. In the midst of the picture of life, we need to answer the question, "are you looking?". As we "look" we shall "see". Psalm 123:1&2: "I lift up my eyes to you, to you whose throne is in heaven... so our eyes look to the Lord our God till he shows us his mercy." The Lord delights to show himself in our midst. We can "look" in the same way a photographer looks through the lens of his or her camera and sees the big picture and then brings the focus clear on the central object he or she is desiring to capture. Then that photographer "sees". The Lord is always present, waiting for us to give him place as the central theme in the picture of our individual lives. Ah! What beauty is ours to behold as we "capture" the sovereignty of the Lord Jesus in all of our circumstances.

No Worries!

How many of you have seen a little child worry? The "norm" for little children is not to worry. I received one of those email prayers this morning from a friend and one part stood out the most. It was the part about not whining or wimpering over things we have no control over. That is a hard one at times. Philippians 4:6&7 says, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." I think the "norm" for little children is because they "trust", without any conscious effort, their parents or guardians. They are free to eat, drink, play... be themselves because they have gotten used to having all their needs met (another God promise). A favorite scripture of mine is in Isaiah 23:6 "You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast because he trusts in you." When children walk in that place of trust, they are free to be and to become. Now I know in this world we don't always see this. There are many sad situations because of the sin factor. However, I am talking here of the "norm" or the ideal which I believe we can have in God's Kingdom which is not of this world. God is the perfect Father. As we trust in Him completely when situations are in or out of our control, we can walk in that freedom he intends for us. It is a daily thing. God's Kindgom is a Heart thing, an inner Kingdom. As we live the Kingdom life on the inside no matter what the circumstances, it affects our entire being. Peace.... body, soul and spirit. I want to receive the wonders of His Kingdom daily... "I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it," the Words of Jesus, Luke 18:17. Have a Peace-filled day!

Freedom

John 8:32 "And you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free." John 8:36 "Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed." FREEDOM. YES, FREEDOM. John 1:12 (amplified) "But to as many as did receive and welcome Him, He gave the authority (power, privilege, right) to become the children of God, that is, to those who believe in--adhere to, trust in and rely on--His name." John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life."

"Happy are the people whose God is the Lord." I believe "happy" starts with "joy" on the inside. I have been thinking of this word "Freedom" lately. As God's people, what are we free of or from? We would all make a list. Some of what it would contain would be: sin, guilt, shame. But, what about things like: anxiety (that is a big one these days), gossip, bad attitude, pride, discontentment, rudeness, etc. The first three, sin, guilt, shame we can accept as a work accomplished on the Cross. The others, we struggle with at times. We can look at each of those "offenses" individually or we can look at what is behind them. The word is "choice"! That, to me, is our greatest FREEDOM. We are free in Christ to choose how we want to live. Those iniquities were nailed to the Cross and buried right along with sin, guilt and shame. That is so exciting! That is what makes the people of God happy people. No matter what the circumstances of life bring our way, we know that we are FREE to deal with them according to the Word and the Spirit of God. We used to sing a chorus, "Satan had me bound but Jesus set me FREE..." Therefore, if the Son has set you free, you are free indeed"!

So, our job is easy. John 6:29: "The work of God is this: to believe (adhere to, trust in, rely on) the one he has sent."

Thanks for letting me share my thoughts. I'd love to hear yours.

Amber Alerts

Every time I hear or see an Amber Alert, my heart is tugged with compassion. I instantly go to prayer. My prayer is not that the Lord will find the child but that the Lord will cause the child to be found. I am often reminded that Psalm 121:4 tells us that "...he who keeps Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep."In other words, he doesn't miss a thing. The God who knows how many hairs we have on our head; clothes the lillies of the field; knows when a sparrow falls from the sky, knows the location and situation of every person on this globe at any given moment. Unimaginable isn't it, except by the Spirit? Although the pain of separation and the unknown can be overwhelming at times, we can take comfort in knowing that our God is still on the Throne of the Universe. We don't need to be stymied by the things that would attempt to throw us off course. A wise funeral director once told me during the course of dealing with a death, to watch out at intersections when driving during that season because it was easy to become distracted in our minds and not see a stop sign or another vehicle approaching. In the same way, we can become distracted and not see the danger coming during difficult times. By His Grace, we can "be self-controlled and alert..." and steadfastly trust. I Peter 5:8&9.