One Thing Remains

                               
                           

  I know that days can be super hard sometimes. I know what it's like to be in a place where things just seem so overwhelming it's hard to even think much less be able to pray. I've had times in my life where I could say that I have experienced what it feels like to be crushed in Spirit. I have dealt with fear, anger, fits of rage, bitterness, resentment, and have struggled with unforgiveness. Everyone has some hard challenges to face throughout their lives. But throughout all of our struggles, hardships, challenges, sorrows, defeats, anxieties, fears, depression, One thing remains. 

   Yesterday I got to be a part of something amazing. A local church called Conduit is doing an outreach ministry this coming Saturday for the people in their community. They have pulled together resources and put together over 800 backpacks full of school supplies for the kids in a couple of the lower income school districts. They are also preparing 1000 chicken bbq dinners for area families. The Pastor of the church said to me that their agenda is "love". 

    Yesterday, volunteers came and before we got started everyone laid their hands on another person and a box of items that were going to be added to a backpack and 3 men covered the event in prayer. Then we made an assembly line, passed the bags down and each person added a different school supply. My daughter and I were at the end of the line, I added a highlighter she zipped the bag shut. There was man who took the completed bags and set them on another table, and as he grabbed each bag I heard him pray "Lord bless the child who receives this backpack."  Another guy started singing the B I B L E very enthusiastically. Everyone was smiling and in excited anticipation for this event. 200 bags were completed in like 30 min! What a great feeling it is to be a part of something bigger than ourselves! Sharing God's love with others in big ways and small ways.. It is good for the soul, no doubt! 

  I was doing my quite time this morning and so much seems to keep pointing to love. Starting with Christ's love. Then, as he pours His love into our lives and calls us to love others we ourselves become conduits. A way for His everflowing, self sacrificial, and unconditional love to reach the masses.  We love because He first loved us! The scripture references I had for today were John3:16, 1Corinthians13, 1Peter4:8. 

  So in your challenges, fears, struggles, depression... when all seems overwhelming, hopeless, lost.., take heart in knowing that one thing remains. You are dearly loved with an abundant, never ending, source of love. And He will give you all the love you need to keep loving even the most challenging people in your life. Whether it be your spouse, coworkers, family members, strangers (that can't drive), even your enemy. Always remember for God so loved the world, that He sacrificed His One and Only Son, that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have life everlasting! All is never lost! Let us become saturated by this love, and let us stomp out the darkness of this world and completely thwart the schemes of the enemy in our own lives and in the lives of others by the one thing that will always remain, the Love of our Lord Jesus Christ. Receive it and pour it out:)!

Father,

 I pray that You will give us a better understanding of how great Your love for us truly is. Please allow us to feel your love for us and know that every detail of our lives matters to You. Help us to know and understand that You are wise, and that Your ways are perfect. Please restore to us Your perfect peace as we trust in You. God, enable us to receive Your love. We can not love others if we are not able to be loved ourselves. Help us to see ourselves the way the way that You see us, and to see others the way You see them. God please help us to be willing, living, conduits for Your love to flow through into the lives of others. May the enemy of our souls continue to be cast down by love. Starting with the Love You poured out for us on the cross Lord. May Your love reach the masses through us Father. When all else fails we know by Your Word that Your love never will. And Your word also promises that nothing in all creation can separate us from Your love that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Thank You for these life giving Truths! We praise Your Holy name O Lord. And as we allow You to fill us with your love and as we love others may You alone be glorified. Thank You Jesus, for the eternal hope that we have in the One thing that will always remain. Your Love.

In Jesus name, Amen

As you listen to this song allow your Heavenly Father to encompass you with His great love for you and be encouraged. Seek the opportunity to share His love with someone else today:)  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-XAIkFOWeg

Shalom

Brighter days ahead!

                 

      Question. Have you ever had days where you just feel defeated? Curtains pulled, lights are off. You feel down, oppressed. You seem to have a loss of hope. Your vision is dimmed. You feel depressed and alone, unloved. Everything seems dark and you just have an all around sense of heaviness. I'm pretty sure that everyone has experienced days like this. Some, unfortunately, have these kinds of days more often than not. Woah, I just reread what I typed and it's like I am supposed to offer some kind of new drug or 5 step program right about now. Well... Nope:) The other day a song popped into my head. It was a song that I used to sing when I was very young. It goes like this, "Put on the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness, lift up your voice to God. Praise in the Spirit and with understanding oh magnify the Lord". After singing it through once I thought, "garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness?" That has to be a Bible verse. I looked it up and sure enough, Isaiah61:3 says, "and to console those who mourn in Zion- to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness, that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified." How beautiful I thought! but, what does it mean?! In my research I was blown away! This spirit of heaviness is not a mans own spirit and it is not a spirit from God, nor could it be. It is a demonic spirit. (note; for all the Christians out there who don't think or acknowledge that spiritual warfare is real or is going on all around us, all of the time, every day, please read and ponder Eph 6:10-18, 1Peter 5:8-9, and John 10:10. awareness, i feel, is about 3/4ths of the battle). So, this demonic spirit of heaviness can come over us and seriously oppress us or it can linger like a dark cloud over certain places or even large areas. Just an all over sense of darkness or despair. It's mission is to cause us to isolate and like I said before, rob us of our hope, and joy in believing. How do we combat this spirit of heaviness? Well, Isaiah says we put on a garment of praise! We praise our God for Who He is and for His constant provision! We praise Him for our children! We praise Him for the beauty of nature, and for air that we breath, for every heartbeat, for the water we drink and the food that we eat! We praise His glorious name for we are fearfully and wonderfully made! We praise Him for the mercy and grace He pours down upon us daily, For His Word, His constant forgiveness, His unending faithfulness and His unconditional love! The spirit of heaviness can not remain! Our praises and adoration of our Lord snuff out that evil spirit and it is replaced with a renewed lightness. Our hope is restored as well as our joy. We can again see and feel how much He loves us! Oh how Satan doesn't want us to be aware of this. What victory comes through the worshiping and praising of our Heavenly Father! So, keep this in mind the next time you feel alone, dark, depressed, hopeless, oppressed and unloved. Turn on your favorite praise music, loudly, or just sing without music. Don't worry, He loves your voice! Lift your hands to your Creator and praise Him for the breath of life that you have been given and for the gift of salvation that comes through His only Son, Jesus Christ (John14:6) that He sent to die for you because He loves you so much! Do not let the spirit of heaviness rule another day of your life. Now may the Lord of peace Himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you.

  I heard once, "demons are like germs. you know they are there but you just take the necessary precautions. keep your hands clean etc..." We should not be consumed by them but we do need to be aware of them and their eagerness to spiritually paralyze us. Pick up your sword (bible) Know the Truth and cling to His promises. Jesus already had victory over death and darkness and we as Christians also have that victory through Him! So PRAISE!