Do You Believe that?

         I was humming a tune in my head as I woke up when the Holy Spirit whispered, “Do you believe that?”  My immediate response was, “absolutely”.  Then, because I always want to make sure I’m telling the truth and don’t want to miss a learning experience, the “why” question popped in my head – “Why are you asking?”
          I’ve learned long ago, when I’ve got something like this rolling around in my head, I need to get busy writing it down.  This happen to be at 4:45 in the morning, but I knew if I went back to sleep, I wouldn’t remember what to write and I wouldn’t get to learn a very life changing lesson from the Resurrected King!
          The funny thing is, I was humming the tune, didn’t even know for sure what the lyrics were.  As I sat down to write, I kept humming it over and over again, praying for just SOMETHING so I could look it up on the internet.  All I got was “The Resurrected King”, so I typed it in the search line as “the Resurrected King lyrics” and whalla – up come links to several different sites with these lyrics and many YouTube options.  Gotta love the internet! 
          So, as I started reading through the lyrics, kind of singing it in my head, I thought I’d better watch it on YouTube because all I could remember is the chorus music with the lyrics – I couldn’t remember how the verses went….but the Holy Spirit said no – I just knew I was supposed to start typing so He could speak to me through the words, not the tune.
          So, I started just singing the verse that was in my head when I woke up in the beginning – is that where the lesson was hiding? 

By Your spirit I will rise
From the ashes of defeat
The resurrected king
Is resurrecting me
In Your name I come alive
To declare your victory
The resurrected king
Is resurrecting me

           Interestingly, as I was still laying in bed, right after He woke me up to this tune, right after He had asked the question, “do you believe this”, I was immediately reminded that I had paid some bills over the weekend and my husband and I had talked about the need to get some money in the account because I would be overdrawn by Tuesday if we didn’t (it was Labor Day weekend and my parents were in town, so I knew we would need to get money in right away).  BUT, this is Wednesday, and guess what – we forgot.   

          While I was waiting for my computer to wake up to write, I checked on my phone and was able to find out that not just ONE check had come in, but eight transactions happened YESTERDAY, five of which were in the red zone – meaning, five overdraft charges at $30 a pop.  I was sick to my stomach…..HOW can that happen?  Why did we forget?  Why, Lord, when we are faithful tithers, faithful servants, and you ask us to try you in the area of tithing so You can show us how you reward your faithful servants, (Malachi 3:10 AMP:  Bring all the tithes (the tenth) into the storehouse, so that there may be  food in My house, and test Me now in this,” says the Lord of hosts, “if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you [so great] a blessing until there is no more room to receive it.) why did that many transactions have to come in when we made a very innocent mistake of forgetting to put money in the bank.  Why couldn’t you have reminded me yesterday before it was too late????

          Then, I found the lyrics to this song and started typing.  And, even as I wrote the above paragraph, I am rereading the lyrics again: 

By Your spirit I will rise
From the ashes of defeat
The resurrected king
Is resurrecting me
In Your name I come alive
To declare your victory
The resurrected king
Is resurrecting me

          So, “do you believe this?”  He was already preparing my heart.  Because instead of “WHY LORD???”, I am going to declare, “by Your Spirit I will rise from the ashes of defeat”.  I feel defeated this morning.  I feel stupid, feel like we are just barely hanging on from paycheck to paycheck, and just want to beat myself up!  $150 is a LOT of money to waste on stupid overdraft charges!  We don’t have that kind of money budgeted for stupidity.  Yes, this is what I’m repeating in my head…..and guess who likes to take that mindset and just rub it in to make me CONTINUE to feel so dumb?  The one who is out to kill, steal and destroy:  (John 10:10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.)

          It is at this point in our walk we have to make a very simple decision, are we going to believe what God says through His word?  Are we going to believe the enemy who wants us dead or are we going to believe the truth about the Resurrected King?  I choose to believe.  Right now, that is all it is – a choice.  I don’t particularly feel the warm and fuzzies of these lyrics, BUT, I do believe I will rise from the ashes of defeat because the Resurrected King is resurrecting me.  I am coming alive, not feeling so desperate and afraid of how we’re going to recover from this blow because I’m going to declare victory in the Resurrected King.
          You see, I don’t know what it’s going to look like.  I’m commissioned sales and sometimes those checks at the end of the week aren’t what I was hoping for.  Here’s what the enemy is whispering in my ear, hoping I’m going to grasp a hold of what he’s saying and keep me distracted enough  to NOT listen to what Jesus is saying.  Enemy: “See, you idiot…this is your pattern.  You aren’t financially stable and you seem to always get yourself into a place where you can’t pay a bill or get an overdraft.  You obviously aren’t doing something right because you aren’t receiving the blessings from the god who says he will bless you.  You are faithful, but is he?”  And on, and on, and on…depending on how long I let him. 

          And then, the Holy Spirit’s words “do you believe this?” are heard in between words of the enemy.  I scream (well, in my head because I’d wake up the household), YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I BELIEVE! 
          This is what we have to do in every situation.  Today, it is a simple financial mistake – costly but simple.  Tomorrow, it could be the devastating news of a deadly disease, or the death of a loved one.  But the simple mistakes like this one are training for the times when harder things come our way.  It isn’t a matter of IF they will come, it is a matter of WHEN.

     When situations come our way, we can choose to listen to the voice of condemnation or choose to view that situation as a training ground and listen to the Resurrected King!  I’ve made my choice.  Has the enemy stopped like a good little boy, knowing he is defeated?  Not at all.  The voices continue to pound my brain.  The enemy doesn’t quit – he wants us dead, either physically and/or spiritually, and he won’t quit.   (1 Peter 5:8-9 AMP:  ⁸ Be sober [well balanced and self-disciplined], be alert and cautious at all times. That enemy of yours, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion [fiercely hungry], seeking someone to devour. 9 But resist him, be firm in your faith [against his attack—rooted, established, immovable], knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being experienced by your brothers and sisters throughout the world. [You do not suffer alone.] )  I must make the right choice.  I choose to listen to the Resurrected King.
          This is when I thought I’d better check out the rest of the song – is there anything else in there I need to hear?  Do I believe the rest of it?

 Your name
Your name
Is victory
All praise
Will rise
To Christ our king

The fear that held us now gives way
To him who is our peace
His final breath upon the cross
Is now alive in me

          YES!  His name, JESUS, is my victory!  I will continually praise Him – the fear that tried to hold me has given way to Him who is my peace – He is ALIVE IN ME!

                This makes me happy – it pumps me up.  I’m ready to get my walking shoes on and when the early morning sun comes up, I’m going to hit the streets, plugging in my phone for more uplifting songs and the Word from my Resurrected King, drowning out this very real enemy who wants to see me turn my head from my King and worry and fret.  NOT TODAY!  😄

               Just a quick note of how the day finished out.  We made the deposit and I called the bank to beg forgiveness.  They didn't have to do it, but I received God's grace in the form of reduced fees.  THANK YOU JESUS!  We still have to pay some of the fee, money we didn't really have, but I'm confident, in the end, I don't have to worry about it.  Because, I'm declaring victory in the resurrected KING!

"Resurrecting" by Elevation Worship

The head that once was crowned with thorns
Is crowned with glory now
The Savior knelt to wash our feet
Now at his feet we bow

The one who wore our sin and shame
Now robed in majesty
The radiance of perfect love
Now shines for all to see

Your name
Your name
Is victory
All praise
Will rise
To Christ our king

The fear that held us now gives way
To him who is our peace
His final breath upon the cross
Is now alive in me

Your name
Your name
Is victory
All praise
Will rise
To Christ our king

By Your spirit I will rise
From the ashes of defeat
The resurrected king
Is resurrecting me
In Your name I come alive
To declare your victory
The resurrected king
Is resurrecting me

The tomb where soldiers watched in vain
Was borrowed for three days
His body there would not remain
Our God has robbed the grave
Our God has robbed the grave

Your name
Your name
Is victory
All praise
Will rise
To Christ our king

By Your spirit I will rise
From the ashes of defeat
The resurrected king
Is resurrecting me
In your name I come alive
To declare Your victory
The resurrected king
Is resurrecting me
The resurrected king
Is resurrecting me

Life lessons from the flower garden ... part deux

Today, God showed me another great lesson in life through a some hanging flower baskets and the stress they went through.
     A couple of months ago, hail and rain storms raged through our area, almost on a daily basis.  It was the middle of May and everyone was chomping at the bit to get their flower baskets hung by the awning with care and get those wonderful bedding plants in the ground.  But every time we thought it was going to be THE day, we were blessed with more rain, cold nights and hail.
     Well, towards the first of June, I thought it was safe and headed over to my friends nursery and garden center.  I got several hanging baskets and trays of bedding plants and went home to hang them, lovingly, as I do every year.  It was so fun to get up each morning to give these sweet beauties the care they needed to produce like they are designed to do.  I also had enough bedding plants to take care of Memorial Day Weekend when we always plant flowers on all the family grave sites.
     Then, it happened.  Karl, the greatest man alive, and I had been up in the mountains all day, having a great time playing with our daughter and family who were visiting for the weekend.  It was beautiful and sunny most of the day, but started to cloud up later, so we headed home.  As we got about 1/2 way home, we came upon a four-car accident and realized that accident had happened because of the several inches of hail on the ground, creating marbles under the tires of those cars.  By the time we had come through, there wasn't anything on the roads, but the sides of the road looked like it was winter and had just snowed 3"!
     Pulling into our driveway, my heart sank.  ALL my flowers had been pummeled. These two, pictured at the right, had fallen earlier in the week because of the incredible winds, so I had placed them on the ground until I could get better hooks on the overhangs. As you can see, the hail took them out. 
     The ones still hanging suffered, but only on the exposed side. Thankfully, they didn't look like a complete loss and all I needed to do was turn them around and no one would really see the damage. 
    
     This kind of weather went on for a few more days - Karl and I even got creative on how to protect the plants we couldn't store in the garage.  I literally had those hanging baskets and the four trays of bedding plants in the garage for over a week.  It was so wonderful when the weather started cooperating.
      To finally get to the lesson I learned, today.  As I was doing my daily fun in the sun with these flowers, I was noticing how the two, pummeled, seemingly destroyed hanging plants were coming back nicely.  They had scars on their wee little stems, but new life was pushing from all directions, declaring their strength and viability.  It was at that moment, that whispering voice of the Holy Spirit mentioned how that is like my life. 
     I have been pummeled by life, as everyone has.  Some of that beating came from poor choices I've made.  Some has come from poor choices others have made and I happen to be there to participate, not always as a choice.  And, as the two plants that were totally beat down, they seemed hopeless, as I have also felt hopeless. 
     God was showing me how He never gives up on His children.  That even when life, by our choice or the choice of others, beats us down to a place of utter hopelessness, we always have hope in Jesus, who loves us, showers us with loving care, and nurtures us back to health. 
     If you take a look, now, at the two plants side-by-side, one is recuperating much faster than the other.  He showed me how that is ok, too.  Everyone is different and grows at different paces.  That it isn't something to give up on, because HE knows what we need, when we need it, how we need it, and where we are going in life.  He is a gentleman and a very fine surgeon.  He does healing surgery little bits at a time.  Can you imagine a surgeon going into our body to remove cancer and just yank it out?  NO - he goes in to intricately remove bit by bit so all the organs remain healthy.  That is how our healing takes place in Christ, too.  And, He never leaves us.  In Hebrews 13:5, God says He will never leave you nor forsake you. 
     I'm betting when those hanging baskets were getting beat to the ground, they felt forsaken.  It is a common response in human life to think God HAS forsaken us when there are hard times - and God was showing me how some people's hard times are worse than others  by the differences in how these three baskets where hurt.  But if we truly understand who Jesus really is, we then know He didn't forsake us.  There is a real enemy to our souls - one who wants to kill, steal and destroy (John 10:10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.)  When we really understand the love of Jesus, which can only be accomplished by spending time with him, we understand that our hurts, pain and suffering are really from the enemy and those who didn't know the love of Jesus.  
     So, back to the analogy - if you look at the picture of the recovering hanging baskets, you will still see the scars on their stems from the hail.  But this I know....when the end of the summer arrives, you will have to dig deep in the greenery to find any sign of damage.  That is because they will have had time with their caregiver, showering them with love, food, water and care. (as the picture below - you can't even see the scars anymore - it hasn't completely healed and still is only producing a few flowers on that side, but the scarring is gone).

You can't even see the damage

     The same is in our lives.  We may have the scars, but if we allow ourselves to come under the covering of our Lord and Savior, let Him be our caregiver, to love on us, feed us, water us, and care for us, our scars will be buried in the LOVE He showers upon us.  We will grow into the amazing beautiful creation he designed us to be.  We will no longer be hindered by the damage of those who didn't know Him.  The damage will no longer matter because we know we are a beautiful creation in Him and we will produce the beauty He has created us to produce.  
     Seek Him - Jesus is Love.  He loves you so much, He gave His life for you.  Since we live in a very hurting world, we don't see the love of Jesus, much.  And I've not always been a great representation of that love.  But I am further devoting my life to growing that love, to being consumed by His love.  I've been saved from a mess of a life I had created for myself.  I will  never go back and will ALWAYS live my life for Christ.  He saved me.  I am a new creation.  Old things have been shed off this life and I walk with Him every day - all because of LOVE.

Life lessons from the flower garden

I've learned so much from working in my flower garden, lately.  The Holy Spirit is just flowing and I can hardly contain myself.  I love it when I've fertilized the ground of my mind so the Holy Spirit can sow and grown in my spirit.  Why don't I do more of this?  Ah, but alas...that is for another time.
     While out doing the mindless, totally wonderful task of deadheading all the flowers the other day, God whispered this little nugget into my spirit.  It totally made my day!  To think, I (we) have a God who so loves us, He will give us little bits of wisdom in seemingly mundane tasks - we just have to be willing to listen and believe.
     He was showing me that every beautiful flowering plant, in order to keep producing its beautiful flowers, must be deadheaded and that deadheading is a perfect analogy of our lives. We have a beauty impregnated within us when we give our lives to Christ - and He came so we can have newness of life. Old things are passed away (deadheaded, removing guilt, shame, loneliness, hopelessness, sorrow, & pain) and all things are new (new blooms, new flowers, new beauty, new life, new joy, new freedom, new hope). 2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
     After the deadheading process, which is throwing off all that baggage and renewing our minds everyday in the newness of Christ (Romans 12:2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.), we need to water and feed.
     With flowers, I used to just get out the hose and water them, never considering the incredible amount of energy it takes to produce flowers.  Needless to say, my success level at growing stunning, beautiful, flowing flowers was dismal, at best.  It wasn't until I sought the advise of my friends and gardening experts (The Wardell Family at Huerfano Garden and Nursery) that I found plant food is necessary to sustain that level of production.  What a difference that made!!!
     Another life analogy - we need two things to survive physically on this earth:  water and food.  Water is the life blood of our physical being and the Holy Spirit is our life connection to the ways of the Lord, revealed through His word.  John 4:14 says but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life. Eternal life, never thirsting, always full to overflowing because our cup overflows.
     Then the food - we cannot live on bread alone.  Matthew 4:4 says Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every WORD that comes from the mouth of God. We must have God's Word to give us sustenance, life, abundance, and strength to carry on, to walk this walk of love in Jesus.
     ALL of this is for only one purpose - to produce beauty and love towards those who cross our paths.  After all, what is the point of living this life if it isn't to show Jesus at every turn.  I have a confession to make.  I've not always produced beauty in my life.  I've looked like a neglected plant that was supposed to flower and bring joy and love into other's lives but was sagging, drooping and overall unattractive to be around.  But when I've neglected the time with my Father in Heaven - the one who waters my soul and gives me strength through His Word, I have no energy to be love.  I'm selfish which causes anger, backbiting, gossiping, jealousy, envy and all those other things we see in others and don't like.  I don't like who I am when I've not sought Him with every breath.
     But He is so faithful and so redeeming.  Just like any loving mom or dad, when our children want to spend time with us, we want to shower them with the desires of their hearts.  And He does!!!  But our sole purpose is on this earth is to portray who He REALLY is.  Love.  The Beatles really did have it right - "All you need is LOVE".  The Love of Christ!
     So, embrace the deadheading (shedding the old ways and taking on the new ways of Christ) and fill yourself with food (the Bible) and water, Living Water!  We weren't made to do this alone.  We have a friend in Jesus.  May I always, from this moment forward, show that love......my old selfishness is washed away.
      I'll conclude with the Love Chapter - 1 Corinthians 13
 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. ² And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. ³ If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.
⁴ Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant ⁵ or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; ⁶ it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. ⁷ Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
⁸ Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. ⁹ For we know in part and we prophesy in part, ¹⁰ but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. ¹¹ When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. ¹² For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.
¹³ So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.