It's been such a long time since I've posted a blog about anything. I feel like recently the Lord has given me so much insight on who He is in my life as Abba. Father. Daddy. I thought I would share some things He has shown me. It's been truly wrecking and oh so beautiful. It's just too loaded for a Facebook post, so here it goes.
It all started reading Hosea. I've read this book in the Bible several times, especially after reading Redeeming Love,(If you have never read Redeeming Love go buy it, borrow it, and read it NOW).I read Hosea over and over was still trying to grasp how deep God loves me. Unimaginable love. This time though I was reading it again with a new set of eyes. I was searching for identity. I was searching for the deepest longing in my heart to be filled. To truly believe in my heart that He loves me and that He would and does buy me back over and over. Am I really worth it to Him? Am I truly worth the buying back, the dusting off, the picking back up after a nasty fall? I was wondering. I was emotionally and physically spent after relationships and circumstances that had crushed me. "God I just need to be reminded of how deep your love is for me, not as a lover but as a DAUGHTER," I said in my spirit. He led me to Hosea 2:1.
"In that day you will call your brothers Ammi-'My People.' And you will call your sisters Ruhamah-'The ones I love.'"
I stopped and tears welled up in my eyes. The ones I love. There's clearly something God is saying here about His daughters. I looked up what Ruhamah meant in Hebrew and it means an "object of compassion and tender love." Exactly what my heart was crying out for. He was saying I was an object of His compassion and tender love. ME! Us as daughters of God-WE are the objects of His deepest compassion and love. Men, don't get me wrong me you are loved dearly by our God, but God knows the daughter's deepest desires of being loved and delighted in. After all, He made us this way.
There I sat. So overwhelmed by His love for me as His daughter. I began to cry. I could feel as if He was stepping in and healing my heart. Filling it with what it was so desperately crying out for. Do you know that's how He feels about you? My sisters do you know that He rejoices over you with singing and delights in YOU. Every moment of every day He thinks of you. He's the perfect Father.
Now, we know that us humans aren't perfect, so we can't expect for our earthly fathers to be perfect, however, many of us have labeled God similar to our earthly father. Our earthly fathers may have not given us the love that we desired, but they sure tried to be the best they could with what they had been given. So, we should cut them some slack. That's what we would want right? It's time to separate the two. It's time to separate these earthly men from THE FATHER who created you in the womb and who has known you longer than anyone else.
He isn't the father who sat on the couch and tuned you out. He isn't the father who ignored you. He isn't the father who looked at you as a nuisance rather than a delight. He isn't the father that never came to your room to check on you while you cried of a broken heart. He isn't the father that left. He isn't the father who made multiple mistakes. He isn't the father that told you you weren't enough, whether through his words or his actions. He isn't the father who cheated, lied and stole. He isn't the father that left you to fend for yourself. He isn't the father who was passive. He isn't the father who was aggressive. He isn't the father that neglected and abused you. He isn't the father who blamed and pointed the finger. He isn't the father who never believed in you.
After experiences and circumstances like that we come into a broken world asking if we are loved.
We walk through life with our views of ourselves. We seek and desire this love so much that we go to long lengths to get it. And, we usually search out men to fill this hole (especially if our fathers didn't instill a deep identity in us). We measure ourselves by how we look in the mirror. We look at ourselves and say-
"If only I could change this about myself. If only I could look like that then I could catch that one boy's eye. Then I could be an object of his compassion and love. Maybe he will look my way if I do this, look like that, dress like this or give a bit of myself to him. He would really love me if I actually was desirable."
We come to find out that the boy never satisfied but only made the hole in our hearts bigger. Rejection. He couldn't fill that longing. We cry out more and lose ourselves. Men won't ever satisfy our craving to be deeply loved.
Only THE FATHER can give you what you deeply need. He is Abba. He is Daddy!
He is THE FATHER who is truly engaged with you at all times and wants to hear about every detail of your day EVEN THOUGH He already knows about it. He is THE FATHER who delights in you. He is THE FATHER who is closer than your breath picking up every tear you have ever cried. He is THE FATHER who never leaves you. He is the THE FATHER who NEVER makes mistakes. He is THE FATHER who says 'you are more than enough for Me.' He is THE FATHER who always tells the truth and gives bigger than you can imagine. He is THE FATHER who carries you in His arms and fights for you. He is THE FATHER who pursues fiercely, speaks tenderly and brings life to every situation. He is THE FATHER who builds, lifts up and ALWAYS believes in you.
Daughters know they're loved through identity, being protected and being provided for. God is the only one who can give you those to the point where they touch the deepest core of your soul and heal you inside and out. He protects, provides and gives you your identity.
I still don't have it all figured out. None of us do. But I hope through this little testimony of what He has shown me sparks something in your heart. That deep longing you have-He wants to fill it.
Ruhamah. That's one of many pet names Abba has for you. Embrace it. Rest in it. Believe your Daddy, because He never lies to you. You are the object of His compassion and tender love. Yes, YOU.
Saturday, June 21, 2014
Saturday, March 2, 2013
[Insert Name Here], Do You Believe Me?
I have been believing a lie.
This semester I'm taking a night class at UTA. It's a social work class, which is my major, so I absolutely love it. There is a lot of discussion and critical thinking that happens in the class which leads to a lot of conversation with Jesus on the car ride home. The other night I was overcome with emotion and I started crying. I didn't know why I was crying, I just was. If you are a woman you understand these moments. Sometimes crying just happens for no reason. Sorry men.
Anyways, I had been thinking about events that were to come in my life. Tanner moving to Texas, moving out, graduating college, getting married and was just thinking how those things aren't right now. My brain can be so quick to think of how far away these events are. I have grown up in an instant gratification culture. The world and society has been telling me if you want something, you can have it...right now. We can thank fast food, Iphones, and drugs for just some of these behaviors and attitudes. People are searching for instant gratification. "What can make me feel okay right now?"
I had thoughts come in and say, "Samantha, it could be a lot worse. Samantha, your life could look like this. Samantha, you could face something that is a lot more trying than what you're going through right now."
After hearing all these words came to my brain, I just blurted out, "I don't care about what it could be or who I could be like I want to talk about ME."
After all these thoughts I didn't know I was going to start crying, but sometimes crying brings healing. Sometimes God can push that button and the water works are turned on. In those moments, STOP and ask the Lord what's going on. You may not know it but, He's trying to catch your attention.
I started thinking what these thoughts were about. They weren't about me, but someone or something else. I was comparing my situation with another situation. COMPARISON. I knew that was not of God, but I started digging deeper. Why was I doing this? Why was I using comparison here? I mean, for a short time period it would make me feel okay and confident with where I am. I would stop being upset and change a perspective, but it would only last a bit. It was instant which was good and it was gratifying. You see where I'm going here?
I was believing a lie that God was saying these things to me because it was bringing me to a different, more "happier" perspective. But, Satan had put this idea into my heart. If I looked at how my life could be a lot worse, I could feel a little better than I did before about how my life was looking right then. He had set it in so quietly that I had taken it on and made it a repeated behavior without him lifting a finger.
But God is truth and I'm so happy to be His kid. When I was sitting in the car and the tears were rolling it's like God was saying "Enough." My God was saving me from this pit of thinking I had fallen into. He, in the most loving way, presented to me His sweet truth. He reminded me of all the promises He has spoken to me about my future. All the great and sweet moments He is going to lead me through. I have images in my memory of what He has shown me that will come to pass. I encourage you, if you have never received a promise from God ask Him for one. Our God LOVES making promises with His children, because He gets to show you His sweet character. He never fails y'all. Never. He ALWAYS comes through. But, sometimes the wait to see these promises fulfilled is long. We can go through life and sometimes let them go and give up. We look at what's in our hands and what we see with our eyes and forget the holy, omniscient God. We forget what is in His hands and what He sees and most of all we forget His words. His promises are true and we all must wait on Him.
One of my favorite women in ministry is Christine Caine. Her boldness and love for Jesus is contagious. She said this once, "God's way may seem like the long way but it is ultimately the only way...No shortcuts."
There is a famous story in the bible about a man and a woman that didn't want to take the long way. He is actually known for being one of the most patient men in the bible, but at this moment he couldn't wait. Abraham and Sarah wanted a child so badly. They were like any other person, maybe a friend you have, or maybe it's you. You want a child so bad. You want to pass on a legacy. You want to know that love a parent has for a child. Abraham and Sarah felt all of that. God made a promise with Abraham. He tells him in Genesis 15, "a son who will come from your own body will be your heir...Look up at the heavens and count the stars-if indeed you can count them..So shall your offspring be." What a promise God has given. God indeed goes above and beyond we could ever ask or imagine. Abraham had heard God speak to Him and say these things! There's no way he would try to go around God's promise and try to speed things up, right?
Sarah, Abraham's wife was in despair. She wanted to leave an heir for her family but she was not able to bear a child and she felt in her old age, it was too late. They must have missed it. She tells Abraham to sleep with one of her servants, Hagar, because surely she will be able to bear a child for him. This definitely seems weird doesn't it? I mean, Sarah is telling her husband to sleep with another woman and he says OKAY. They must have been pretty desperate. They didn't have in vitro back then. They had ran out of ideas and they had ran out of trust and belief in God's promise to them. Hagar did bear a son, Ishmael and God took care of them both, however this was not God's promise. Even though Abraham and Sarah had taken their eyes off of God's promise, to God His promise wasn't going anywhere. Isn't that good news? No matter what we do...God ALWAYS keeps His promise.
Now, when Abraham was 99 years old God appeared to him, AGAIN telling him the covenant and promise He has made with him and Sarah. He laughs in disbelief in Genesis 17 and says, "Will a son be born to a man a hundred years old? Will Sarah bear a child at the age of ninety?" God comes right back at him with a "YES." Y'all, Sarah was NINETY years old. God is the God of all things good and He performs miracles! Later in Genesis 18 the Lord appears again as part of the "three visitors," but He promises them AGAIN that He will be back in a year and that Sarah will have a son. They laughed at God. They were full of disbelief but they continued to be obedient to the Lord and walked in His promise and will for them.
Then...In Genesis 22 sweet baby Isaac makes his entrance..."Now the Lord was gracious to Sarah as HE HAD SAID, and the Lord did for Sarah what HE HAD PROMISED. Sarah became pregnant and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the VERY TIME GOD HAD PROMISED HIM." Abraham and Sarah were in shock and overjoyed. God's promises NEVER fail. While I was speaking to the Lord about all of this I imagined Him, in all His glory sitting on His throne. He's so good. He's so loving, true, sweet, everlasting, and LIVING. He knows every worry, doubt, and struggle. He bends down on His throne and looks me in the eye, the only way a pure and loving Father would to His helpless daughter and He says,
"Daughter, I have made you a promise. Samantha, do you believe me?"
God is seeing if you're going to believe Him. He wants you to believe Him and trust Him with everything. I will be honest, this can be hard to do sometimes. It's when I start taking my eyes off my Daddy's hands and start listening to my own words and not His promises that I start to fear. You may have fear, but don't fret, fear is made perfect in His love and His presence. If you're issue is being unhappy with where you are, because I have been there too, tell Him that. Commune with Him. I promise once you do, your perspective will change. He will show you a promise and He will bring you joy. His ways are perfect and they are meant for your good. Psalm 18:30 says, "God's way is perfect. ALL THE LORD'S PROMISES PROVE TRUE. He is a shield to all who look for Him for protection." His promises are even promises! They prove true and He is your shield when culture tries to mold you to be something else.
Abraham and Sarah are great examples. Even with a slip up and looking at the circumstance, in Hebrews the Word still says they "waited patiently." God is so full of grace for His children. I encourage you friends, to "Be still before the Lord and wait patiently, for Him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes." Psalm 37:7 or like The Message says, "Quiet down before God, be prayerful before Him. Don't bother with those who climb the ladder, who elbow their way to the top."
Let God calm you down with His loving words but be prayerful. Speak to Him. Share everything on your heart. Don't bother with culture or competitive people. Seek His presence and wait for His promises to prove true.
Imagine God bending down from His throne looking at you with a smile, the kind of smile where you can tell He is up to something really good, and saying...
"My ways are perfect and here's My promise for you...
[Insert Name Here] Do you believe Me?"
This semester I'm taking a night class at UTA. It's a social work class, which is my major, so I absolutely love it. There is a lot of discussion and critical thinking that happens in the class which leads to a lot of conversation with Jesus on the car ride home. The other night I was overcome with emotion and I started crying. I didn't know why I was crying, I just was. If you are a woman you understand these moments. Sometimes crying just happens for no reason. Sorry men.
Anyways, I had been thinking about events that were to come in my life. Tanner moving to Texas, moving out, graduating college, getting married and was just thinking how those things aren't right now. My brain can be so quick to think of how far away these events are. I have grown up in an instant gratification culture. The world and society has been telling me if you want something, you can have it...right now. We can thank fast food, Iphones, and drugs for just some of these behaviors and attitudes. People are searching for instant gratification. "What can make me feel okay right now?"
I had thoughts come in and say, "Samantha, it could be a lot worse. Samantha, your life could look like this. Samantha, you could face something that is a lot more trying than what you're going through right now."
After hearing all these words came to my brain, I just blurted out, "I don't care about what it could be or who I could be like I want to talk about ME."
After all these thoughts I didn't know I was going to start crying, but sometimes crying brings healing. Sometimes God can push that button and the water works are turned on. In those moments, STOP and ask the Lord what's going on. You may not know it but, He's trying to catch your attention.
I started thinking what these thoughts were about. They weren't about me, but someone or something else. I was comparing my situation with another situation. COMPARISON. I knew that was not of God, but I started digging deeper. Why was I doing this? Why was I using comparison here? I mean, for a short time period it would make me feel okay and confident with where I am. I would stop being upset and change a perspective, but it would only last a bit. It was instant which was good and it was gratifying. You see where I'm going here?
I was believing a lie that God was saying these things to me because it was bringing me to a different, more "happier" perspective. But, Satan had put this idea into my heart. If I looked at how my life could be a lot worse, I could feel a little better than I did before about how my life was looking right then. He had set it in so quietly that I had taken it on and made it a repeated behavior without him lifting a finger.
But God is truth and I'm so happy to be His kid. When I was sitting in the car and the tears were rolling it's like God was saying "Enough." My God was saving me from this pit of thinking I had fallen into. He, in the most loving way, presented to me His sweet truth. He reminded me of all the promises He has spoken to me about my future. All the great and sweet moments He is going to lead me through. I have images in my memory of what He has shown me that will come to pass. I encourage you, if you have never received a promise from God ask Him for one. Our God LOVES making promises with His children, because He gets to show you His sweet character. He never fails y'all. Never. He ALWAYS comes through. But, sometimes the wait to see these promises fulfilled is long. We can go through life and sometimes let them go and give up. We look at what's in our hands and what we see with our eyes and forget the holy, omniscient God. We forget what is in His hands and what He sees and most of all we forget His words. His promises are true and we all must wait on Him.
One of my favorite women in ministry is Christine Caine. Her boldness and love for Jesus is contagious. She said this once, "God's way may seem like the long way but it is ultimately the only way...No shortcuts."
There is a famous story in the bible about a man and a woman that didn't want to take the long way. He is actually known for being one of the most patient men in the bible, but at this moment he couldn't wait. Abraham and Sarah wanted a child so badly. They were like any other person, maybe a friend you have, or maybe it's you. You want a child so bad. You want to pass on a legacy. You want to know that love a parent has for a child. Abraham and Sarah felt all of that. God made a promise with Abraham. He tells him in Genesis 15, "a son who will come from your own body will be your heir...Look up at the heavens and count the stars-if indeed you can count them..So shall your offspring be." What a promise God has given. God indeed goes above and beyond we could ever ask or imagine. Abraham had heard God speak to Him and say these things! There's no way he would try to go around God's promise and try to speed things up, right?
Sarah, Abraham's wife was in despair. She wanted to leave an heir for her family but she was not able to bear a child and she felt in her old age, it was too late. They must have missed it. She tells Abraham to sleep with one of her servants, Hagar, because surely she will be able to bear a child for him. This definitely seems weird doesn't it? I mean, Sarah is telling her husband to sleep with another woman and he says OKAY. They must have been pretty desperate. They didn't have in vitro back then. They had ran out of ideas and they had ran out of trust and belief in God's promise to them. Hagar did bear a son, Ishmael and God took care of them both, however this was not God's promise. Even though Abraham and Sarah had taken their eyes off of God's promise, to God His promise wasn't going anywhere. Isn't that good news? No matter what we do...God ALWAYS keeps His promise.
Now, when Abraham was 99 years old God appeared to him, AGAIN telling him the covenant and promise He has made with him and Sarah. He laughs in disbelief in Genesis 17 and says, "Will a son be born to a man a hundred years old? Will Sarah bear a child at the age of ninety?" God comes right back at him with a "YES." Y'all, Sarah was NINETY years old. God is the God of all things good and He performs miracles! Later in Genesis 18 the Lord appears again as part of the "three visitors," but He promises them AGAIN that He will be back in a year and that Sarah will have a son. They laughed at God. They were full of disbelief but they continued to be obedient to the Lord and walked in His promise and will for them.
Then...In Genesis 22 sweet baby Isaac makes his entrance..."Now the Lord was gracious to Sarah as HE HAD SAID, and the Lord did for Sarah what HE HAD PROMISED. Sarah became pregnant and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the VERY TIME GOD HAD PROMISED HIM." Abraham and Sarah were in shock and overjoyed. God's promises NEVER fail. While I was speaking to the Lord about all of this I imagined Him, in all His glory sitting on His throne. He's so good. He's so loving, true, sweet, everlasting, and LIVING. He knows every worry, doubt, and struggle. He bends down on His throne and looks me in the eye, the only way a pure and loving Father would to His helpless daughter and He says,
"Daughter, I have made you a promise. Samantha, do you believe me?"
God is seeing if you're going to believe Him. He wants you to believe Him and trust Him with everything. I will be honest, this can be hard to do sometimes. It's when I start taking my eyes off my Daddy's hands and start listening to my own words and not His promises that I start to fear. You may have fear, but don't fret, fear is made perfect in His love and His presence. If you're issue is being unhappy with where you are, because I have been there too, tell Him that. Commune with Him. I promise once you do, your perspective will change. He will show you a promise and He will bring you joy. His ways are perfect and they are meant for your good. Psalm 18:30 says, "God's way is perfect. ALL THE LORD'S PROMISES PROVE TRUE. He is a shield to all who look for Him for protection." His promises are even promises! They prove true and He is your shield when culture tries to mold you to be something else.
Abraham and Sarah are great examples. Even with a slip up and looking at the circumstance, in Hebrews the Word still says they "waited patiently." God is so full of grace for His children. I encourage you friends, to "Be still before the Lord and wait patiently, for Him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes." Psalm 37:7 or like The Message says, "Quiet down before God, be prayerful before Him. Don't bother with those who climb the ladder, who elbow their way to the top."
Let God calm you down with His loving words but be prayerful. Speak to Him. Share everything on your heart. Don't bother with culture or competitive people. Seek His presence and wait for His promises to prove true.
Imagine God bending down from His throne looking at you with a smile, the kind of smile where you can tell He is up to something really good, and saying...
"My ways are perfect and here's My promise for you...
[Insert Name Here] Do you believe Me?"
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
How Long?
We've all been there. We're sitting at the red light and wondering "how long?" We're waiting in line at Whataburger (one of the slowest fast food places but certainly could be the most delicious) and say to ourselves, "how long?" We sit in church and we're thinking about how hungry we are or the Cowboys game and mutter "how long are you gonna keep us in here pastor?"
We have become more and more impatient. No doubt about it. Everything is quick and fast nowadays. We want our fast food, our fast internet, our fast friendships. Uh huh. You know. My generation is a perfect example of impatience. We have grown up in it. I have found myself many times being impatient, however, it can look different than others. I find myself being more impatient with myself and with God.
Sometimes I can feel like I just whine to God. "How long will it take God? How long until You show up?"
I'm very thankful that I'm not the only one that does/did this. One of my favorite persons ever did this. ALL. THE. TIME. and God called him the apple of His eye.
David. I believe the reason God called David the apple of His eye is because he was always so real with God. It was a relationship. David showed God every emotion. I'm sure that painted a beautiful picture to God since He did create ALL emotions and feels them as well. David would dance, weep, and would be filled up with righteous anger because the evil of the men around him. God related with David. It was sweet to Him to relate with His son David.
I read a psalm by David this morning and immediately connected and related with emotion.
Psalm 13. "How long, O Lord?"..."Look on me and answer, O Lord my God." David was facing many enemies. Now, I know today our enemies might look a bit different than David's were, but for some they may look the same. We're facing the enemy of all that's good everyday. He comes like a roaring lion. He comes to devour you. David asks God, "How long" over and over. Filled with such sorrow and loneliness he cries out to God. The greatest person to cry out to.
And at the end of His sorrowful song to the Lord David says...
"BUT I TRUST in YOUR unfailing love. My heart REJOICES in YOUR salvation. I will sing to the Lord for He has been good to me."
We have a choice to make. At the end of our cry out to God we can choose to TRUST and REJOICE or we can crumble with fear and still ask the same questions. God is the God who SEES. He sees you and He hears your prayers. It's okay to whine and cry out to your Father. He loves to see you feel with all emotion, because He does the same thing. He weeps with you. He rejoices with you. Righteous anger against evil.
Will you choose to go into the same pattern of asking "How long?" That's okay. God is patient with you and will weep with you. But what greater joy we have when we TRUST in His unfailing love for us. He is not holding out on you. He's protecting you. He's building you up in due time.
Trust and Rejoice.
We have become more and more impatient. No doubt about it. Everything is quick and fast nowadays. We want our fast food, our fast internet, our fast friendships. Uh huh. You know. My generation is a perfect example of impatience. We have grown up in it. I have found myself many times being impatient, however, it can look different than others. I find myself being more impatient with myself and with God.
Sometimes I can feel like I just whine to God. "How long will it take God? How long until You show up?"
I'm very thankful that I'm not the only one that does/did this. One of my favorite persons ever did this. ALL. THE. TIME. and God called him the apple of His eye.
David. I believe the reason God called David the apple of His eye is because he was always so real with God. It was a relationship. David showed God every emotion. I'm sure that painted a beautiful picture to God since He did create ALL emotions and feels them as well. David would dance, weep, and would be filled up with righteous anger because the evil of the men around him. God related with David. It was sweet to Him to relate with His son David.
I read a psalm by David this morning and immediately connected and related with emotion.
Psalm 13. "How long, O Lord?"..."Look on me and answer, O Lord my God." David was facing many enemies. Now, I know today our enemies might look a bit different than David's were, but for some they may look the same. We're facing the enemy of all that's good everyday. He comes like a roaring lion. He comes to devour you. David asks God, "How long" over and over. Filled with such sorrow and loneliness he cries out to God. The greatest person to cry out to.
And at the end of His sorrowful song to the Lord David says...
"BUT I TRUST in YOUR unfailing love. My heart REJOICES in YOUR salvation. I will sing to the Lord for He has been good to me."
We have a choice to make. At the end of our cry out to God we can choose to TRUST and REJOICE or we can crumble with fear and still ask the same questions. God is the God who SEES. He sees you and He hears your prayers. It's okay to whine and cry out to your Father. He loves to see you feel with all emotion, because He does the same thing. He weeps with you. He rejoices with you. Righteous anger against evil.
Will you choose to go into the same pattern of asking "How long?" That's okay. God is patient with you and will weep with you. But what greater joy we have when we TRUST in His unfailing love for us. He is not holding out on you. He's protecting you. He's building you up in due time.
Trust and Rejoice.
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
Spirit of Entitlement
I had just gotten into my mom's Nissan Rogue after class. My car, ever since its wreck back in April just hasn't been the same on the highway. I hit 60 and it starts to shake. I mean, really shake. I can't even sing anymore because my voice shakes like an opera singer. Don't get me wrong, it provides some laughter, but if you know me, you know I like to belt it in the car. This girl has got to get her Carrie Underwood on every now and then! C'mon now.
I digress. Another great plus to getting to drive their awesome car is I get to listen to 91.3FM. It's a Christian radio station. It plays great worship and sermons all day long. I love it. I feel like a sponge some days, because I literally want to soak up and write down everything they're saying. I'll even text my boyfriend different points of a sermon so I can remember to go back and listen to it or remember to talk to him about it later. Today, however wasn't a sermon that spoke to me. It was a song.
I don't know if you have heard it. I assume it's on the mainstream Christian radio stations.
Should've Been Me by Citizen Way. I heard the song and listened to the words as I was making my way down I-20 to work. Thoughts came into my head instantly.
It's crazy what our brain is capable of doing. I'm thankful that I have the Holy Spirit living inside of me because I know that I would be so off track mentally throughout my day if it wasn't for His sweet guidance and His words speaking to me daily. Today was like a download after I heard the enemy say this to me. "Samantha, don't you think that you deserved Jesus' death and God's grace? I mean, you are such a great person. You deserve the best."
My spirit stopped right there. The Holy Spirit was downloading the truth into my spirit faster than any computer download I have ever witnessed. He was not going to let that idea land into my heart. I wasn't going to either. I yielded to the Holy Spirit immediately after that toxic thought. He reminded me of the current culture I live in.
I'm about to vote in my second election in about a month. I don't know how many people I have heard say they are voting for Obama. "He's going to help the people that can't help themselves and spread the wealth. The poor deserve a chance too." Or, I have heard, "Romney is going to turn our country around and help out the people that actually work in this country!" Don't get me wrong. I know who I'm voting for. However, both of these ideas have the spirit of entitlement all over it.
Yes. I believe there is a Spirit of Entitlement and the root is pride.
"I deserve an A in my class because I have studied so hard."
"I deserve recognition at my job because I have worked there for 20 years!"
"I deserve the best husband/wife!"
Those statements sound silly don't they? But, you have said them. Shoot. I KNOW I have. Satan has came through like a snake and has been whispering in our ears saying that we deserve everything we have and don't have. American Culture has shifted. The first Americans were running to freedom. They were thankful for their freedom of speech and religion. Now, we believe we deserve these freedoms. We believe that we are entitled to them. Did you know that most of the world isn't like us? People don't have these freedoms. They are just thankful that they made it to work without being mugged or assaulted. However, yes I know, we had people that fought for these freedoms and I'm so thankful for them. I'm thankful for the men and women that have laid down their lives for my freedom. But, there is one man that has given me true freedom. The very man that we forget about as we go throughout our day and we believe that evil spirit of entitlement.
To the Christians. Even though we live in this culture, doesn't mean we have to be a part of it. I feel as if we have been falling into this idea of entitlement. We believe if we give money to the church that God has to bless us. We believe that if we give our time to volunteer that the church should give us some recognition. American "Christians" I believe look at the cross and believe the lie. They look at Jesus and the cross and believe Satan's whisper. "You deserve God's grace. You deserved the sacrifice. You have done so many good deeds. You deserve more actually." How many will stand in front of the Almighty God and finally wake up? When will we look around and see that we have done NOTHING to deserve God's grace. My house, my bed, my shoes, my job, my salvation. Lord, You are too good to me I think to myself when I take off these culture lenses and put on Jesus lenses.
Jesus. How I love this man. I learn more about His love all the time. I wouldn't know it though if it wasn't for Him leaving His Father's side and coming to Earth and laying His life down for me. The meaning of the word grace means unmerited favor. An undeserved gift. If we don't start looking at why Jesus really did die on the cross for us, then we will be believing in a salvation that is completely faulty and not true. We will keep on living a life completely unsatisfied relying on ourselves.
I have been down this road. I have believed the lie. I'm beyond blessed that the Lord chose me. He saw me. Even while I was still a sinner He paid it all. ALL my sin washed away. Jesus sees me righteous. He sees Himself in me.
I deserve hell, but God is full of grace and has given me eternal life.
HE DESERVES ALL HONOR, GLORY, and, PRAISE. MY SAVIOR. HE DESERVES IT ALL.
I digress. Another great plus to getting to drive their awesome car is I get to listen to 91.3FM. It's a Christian radio station. It plays great worship and sermons all day long. I love it. I feel like a sponge some days, because I literally want to soak up and write down everything they're saying. I'll even text my boyfriend different points of a sermon so I can remember to go back and listen to it or remember to talk to him about it later. Today, however wasn't a sermon that spoke to me. It was a song.
I don't know if you have heard it. I assume it's on the mainstream Christian radio stations.
Should've Been Me by Citizen Way. I heard the song and listened to the words as I was making my way down I-20 to work. Thoughts came into my head instantly.
It's crazy what our brain is capable of doing. I'm thankful that I have the Holy Spirit living inside of me because I know that I would be so off track mentally throughout my day if it wasn't for His sweet guidance and His words speaking to me daily. Today was like a download after I heard the enemy say this to me. "Samantha, don't you think that you deserved Jesus' death and God's grace? I mean, you are such a great person. You deserve the best."
My spirit stopped right there. The Holy Spirit was downloading the truth into my spirit faster than any computer download I have ever witnessed. He was not going to let that idea land into my heart. I wasn't going to either. I yielded to the Holy Spirit immediately after that toxic thought. He reminded me of the current culture I live in.
I'm about to vote in my second election in about a month. I don't know how many people I have heard say they are voting for Obama. "He's going to help the people that can't help themselves and spread the wealth. The poor deserve a chance too." Or, I have heard, "Romney is going to turn our country around and help out the people that actually work in this country!" Don't get me wrong. I know who I'm voting for. However, both of these ideas have the spirit of entitlement all over it.
Yes. I believe there is a Spirit of Entitlement and the root is pride.
"I deserve an A in my class because I have studied so hard."
"I deserve recognition at my job because I have worked there for 20 years!"
"I deserve the best husband/wife!"
Those statements sound silly don't they? But, you have said them. Shoot. I KNOW I have. Satan has came through like a snake and has been whispering in our ears saying that we deserve everything we have and don't have. American Culture has shifted. The first Americans were running to freedom. They were thankful for their freedom of speech and religion. Now, we believe we deserve these freedoms. We believe that we are entitled to them. Did you know that most of the world isn't like us? People don't have these freedoms. They are just thankful that they made it to work without being mugged or assaulted. However, yes I know, we had people that fought for these freedoms and I'm so thankful for them. I'm thankful for the men and women that have laid down their lives for my freedom. But, there is one man that has given me true freedom. The very man that we forget about as we go throughout our day and we believe that evil spirit of entitlement.
To the Christians. Even though we live in this culture, doesn't mean we have to be a part of it. I feel as if we have been falling into this idea of entitlement. We believe if we give money to the church that God has to bless us. We believe that if we give our time to volunteer that the church should give us some recognition. American "Christians" I believe look at the cross and believe the lie. They look at Jesus and the cross and believe Satan's whisper. "You deserve God's grace. You deserved the sacrifice. You have done so many good deeds. You deserve more actually." How many will stand in front of the Almighty God and finally wake up? When will we look around and see that we have done NOTHING to deserve God's grace. My house, my bed, my shoes, my job, my salvation. Lord, You are too good to me I think to myself when I take off these culture lenses and put on Jesus lenses.
Jesus. How I love this man. I learn more about His love all the time. I wouldn't know it though if it wasn't for Him leaving His Father's side and coming to Earth and laying His life down for me. The meaning of the word grace means unmerited favor. An undeserved gift. If we don't start looking at why Jesus really did die on the cross for us, then we will be believing in a salvation that is completely faulty and not true. We will keep on living a life completely unsatisfied relying on ourselves.
I have been down this road. I have believed the lie. I'm beyond blessed that the Lord chose me. He saw me. Even while I was still a sinner He paid it all. ALL my sin washed away. Jesus sees me righteous. He sees Himself in me.
I deserve hell, but God is full of grace and has given me eternal life.
HE DESERVES ALL HONOR, GLORY, and, PRAISE. MY SAVIOR. HE DESERVES IT ALL.
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Perfectionism-Through God's Eyes
Let's just be transparent.
I have been struggling with perfectionism for a long time. Not only does the world demand perfectionism to be successful, beautiful, and popular, but some of our friends, family, co workers demand it. I demanded it.
There are different types of perfectionism. There is the perfectionism that is super precise about everything they do. Everything has a place and if one piece is missing...Yes, the world is falling apart. This perfectionism, to some, maybe just the opposite of laziness. No, you still need freedom. There is also another perfection where it's not so much external, but internal. You demand perfectionism from yourself and ultimately from others. The latter is the one that I was struggling with. I was holding onto it to define who I was. Perfectionism wasn't just something that I aimed for, the healthy way, which I'll get to later, but it's the way I saw myself. Just me, alone, not with anyone else's help. I saw myself as perfect. What a lie I believed, right?
Obviously, I'm not, but for some reason it had been rooted somehow. After God telling me what the lie was, I asked Him to show me where. Where and when did this lie become rooted into who I was? Flashbacks of my past started coming to mind. People's expectations of me. People telling me I was perfect. I was trying to keep up with perfection. It was outrunning me, but I was trying my very best to become perfection for people. Once believing this lie, I began to demand perfection from people I loved and cared for. I subconsciously thought, "Since I'm perfect, other people are perfect too." Why aren't they keeping up? Why are they letting me down?
A-ha. Expectation.
When you are a perfectionist, you begin to have unhealthy expectations of yourself and also expectations of others. You expect love to be returned. You expect a "thank you." You expect no room for mistakes. You expect immediate response. I mean, that's what you do right? As far as I knew I did so so so well in all of these categories. Expectations hurt. Not only have I hurt myself in this area, but I have definitely hurt people I love and care for. Perfectionism and expectation kept me from loving people like God loves people. God had told me many times about how expectations were keeping me from loving others well. I expected so much from myself, therefore so much of them that I was absolutely devastated at what they did or didn't do.
"If I'm perfect, I must obtain perfection. I must keep up."
That is another lie. There is no way any of us can obtain perfection and a few days ago that finally clicked within me. You and I will never obtain perfection AND we don't have to. God doesn't demand perfection. He simply tells us to aim for it in 2 Corinthians 13:11. Aiming is different than obtaining it. He tells us to aim, knowing we will not hit that perfect shot without Him. All in His design of needing Him.
A few days ago while praying for God's forgiveness in this area, He led me to Hebrews 7:11. In this chapter, Melchizedek and Jesus are looked at as being like one another.
"If perfection could have been attained through the Levitical priesthood (for on the basis of it the law was given to the people), WHY was there still need for another priest to come-one in the order of Melchizedek, not in the order of Aaron?"
After reading that I prayed for the Lord to forgive me. A safe place. I was at a park, kneeling at a bench. My altar. I saw Him lift up my head to His and He said, "You will only see perfection through my eyes." Our eyes meeting. I had a feeling it was like a mirror. He was showing Himself in me. Through His eyes, I'm perfect. I'm free. Nothing that I did. All because of what He did. Looking through His eyes, now I can love people well.
If we were already perfect, we wouldn't need Jesus. Gosh, I don't know about y'all, but that would suck for me. The Lover of my soul, the One that knows me the best, sees my sin and still calls me His beloved wouldn't be closer than my breath right now. He wouldn't be standing at your heart, knocking just to dine with you. He wouldn't be setting your heart on fire. He wouldn't be saving you, every time you mess up. You would be alone and lost. You wouldn't know true love. Oh the love He has for you and me.
Thankful. So thankful I'm not perfect. My Jesus, My Melchizedek. He's perfect.
I have been struggling with perfectionism for a long time. Not only does the world demand perfectionism to be successful, beautiful, and popular, but some of our friends, family, co workers demand it. I demanded it.
There are different types of perfectionism. There is the perfectionism that is super precise about everything they do. Everything has a place and if one piece is missing...Yes, the world is falling apart. This perfectionism, to some, maybe just the opposite of laziness. No, you still need freedom. There is also another perfection where it's not so much external, but internal. You demand perfectionism from yourself and ultimately from others. The latter is the one that I was struggling with. I was holding onto it to define who I was. Perfectionism wasn't just something that I aimed for, the healthy way, which I'll get to later, but it's the way I saw myself. Just me, alone, not with anyone else's help. I saw myself as perfect. What a lie I believed, right?
Obviously, I'm not, but for some reason it had been rooted somehow. After God telling me what the lie was, I asked Him to show me where. Where and when did this lie become rooted into who I was? Flashbacks of my past started coming to mind. People's expectations of me. People telling me I was perfect. I was trying to keep up with perfection. It was outrunning me, but I was trying my very best to become perfection for people. Once believing this lie, I began to demand perfection from people I loved and cared for. I subconsciously thought, "Since I'm perfect, other people are perfect too." Why aren't they keeping up? Why are they letting me down?
A-ha. Expectation.
When you are a perfectionist, you begin to have unhealthy expectations of yourself and also expectations of others. You expect love to be returned. You expect a "thank you." You expect no room for mistakes. You expect immediate response. I mean, that's what you do right? As far as I knew I did so so so well in all of these categories. Expectations hurt. Not only have I hurt myself in this area, but I have definitely hurt people I love and care for. Perfectionism and expectation kept me from loving people like God loves people. God had told me many times about how expectations were keeping me from loving others well. I expected so much from myself, therefore so much of them that I was absolutely devastated at what they did or didn't do.
"If I'm perfect, I must obtain perfection. I must keep up."
That is another lie. There is no way any of us can obtain perfection and a few days ago that finally clicked within me. You and I will never obtain perfection AND we don't have to. God doesn't demand perfection. He simply tells us to aim for it in 2 Corinthians 13:11. Aiming is different than obtaining it. He tells us to aim, knowing we will not hit that perfect shot without Him. All in His design of needing Him.
A few days ago while praying for God's forgiveness in this area, He led me to Hebrews 7:11. In this chapter, Melchizedek and Jesus are looked at as being like one another.
"If perfection could have been attained through the Levitical priesthood (for on the basis of it the law was given to the people), WHY was there still need for another priest to come-one in the order of Melchizedek, not in the order of Aaron?"
After reading that I prayed for the Lord to forgive me. A safe place. I was at a park, kneeling at a bench. My altar. I saw Him lift up my head to His and He said, "You will only see perfection through my eyes." Our eyes meeting. I had a feeling it was like a mirror. He was showing Himself in me. Through His eyes, I'm perfect. I'm free. Nothing that I did. All because of what He did. Looking through His eyes, now I can love people well.
If we were already perfect, we wouldn't need Jesus. Gosh, I don't know about y'all, but that would suck for me. The Lover of my soul, the One that knows me the best, sees my sin and still calls me His beloved wouldn't be closer than my breath right now. He wouldn't be standing at your heart, knocking just to dine with you. He wouldn't be setting your heart on fire. He wouldn't be saving you, every time you mess up. You would be alone and lost. You wouldn't know true love. Oh the love He has for you and me.
Thankful. So thankful I'm not perfect. My Jesus, My Melchizedek. He's perfect.
Saturday, December 25, 2010
THE Christmas Story
Jesus has always reminded me of His great love. I'm forever grateful that He does, because it's the greatest feeling you will ever encounter. I continually pray that Jesus pours down His love on me everyday. It's just something that I crave. It's beautiful. He's beautiful. This entry though isn't about Jesus.
Lately God has shown me a lot about Jesus' mother, Mary. What a woman of God. She was just a young girl when an angel of the Lord came to her and told her that she was going to bear a child. She had found favor with God. Wow. He chose her, a teenage girl to carry the Savior in her womb. Am I the only one that thinks that is just crazy? She had to have been fearful. Who was going to believe her? "Yeah, the Holy Spirit came upon me and now I'm pregnant." I'm sure people replied with, "Yeah right, this girl is crazy." In the first chapter of Luke, Gabriel comes to her and tells her the BEST news. A Savior is coming. His kingdom will have no end (v33). What I love too is that Gabriel even talked about Elizabeth to Mary. Just to let her know of another miracle, because Mary could have been doubting, like any of us would have. 36 And consider your relative Elizabeth-even she has conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren. 37 For nothing will be impossible with God. Then Mary calls herself a slave to God's plan. WOW. I want to be like Mary.
Then Mary goes to visit Elizabeth. Wouldn't you? A relative of her's. One of the only women that probably believed her. Elizabeth was so encouraging to her too. I pray to be encouraging like Elizabeth. She tells Mary in verse 45, She who has believed is blessed because what was spoken to her by the Lord will be fulfilled! This is something that I read yesterday, and that I definitely needed to hear. God's promises never fall void. NEVER. He might fulfill these promises in ways that are mysterious, but isn't that what makes life so much fun? God promised the world a Savior. A young teenage girl is holding the Lord of Lords in her womb. People weren't expecting that. They were expecting something extremely magnificent. God works in mysterious ways. Maybe you're going through something and you're waiting on the Lord. Blessed are you for believing in the promise God has for you. Just believe. That's all He wants.
I love in the story when shepherds and angels have an encounter. The angels are just so excited. They're singing! What a glorious sound to hear. I can't wait. Anyways, the shepherds told Mary and Joseph all the great things that the angels have just told them about their newborn son. Verse 19, But Mary was treasuring up all these things in her heart and meditating on them.
God has told you a promise. He's not going to let you down. When the promise came through, Mary treasured up all the wonderful blessings people were speaking over her and this Son of God that she was blessed to have. When God unveils His great promise to me, oh how I'm going to treasure and meditate on every detail that He set up to lead me to that moment.
Mary, what a woman. Jesus, what a Savior. God, what a divine planner. The only one I want to plan my life.
Lately God has shown me a lot about Jesus' mother, Mary. What a woman of God. She was just a young girl when an angel of the Lord came to her and told her that she was going to bear a child. She had found favor with God. Wow. He chose her, a teenage girl to carry the Savior in her womb. Am I the only one that thinks that is just crazy? She had to have been fearful. Who was going to believe her? "Yeah, the Holy Spirit came upon me and now I'm pregnant." I'm sure people replied with, "Yeah right, this girl is crazy." In the first chapter of Luke, Gabriel comes to her and tells her the BEST news. A Savior is coming. His kingdom will have no end (v33). What I love too is that Gabriel even talked about Elizabeth to Mary. Just to let her know of another miracle, because Mary could have been doubting, like any of us would have. 36 And consider your relative Elizabeth-even she has conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren. 37 For nothing will be impossible with God. Then Mary calls herself a slave to God's plan. WOW. I want to be like Mary.
Then Mary goes to visit Elizabeth. Wouldn't you? A relative of her's. One of the only women that probably believed her. Elizabeth was so encouraging to her too. I pray to be encouraging like Elizabeth. She tells Mary in verse 45, She who has believed is blessed because what was spoken to her by the Lord will be fulfilled! This is something that I read yesterday, and that I definitely needed to hear. God's promises never fall void. NEVER. He might fulfill these promises in ways that are mysterious, but isn't that what makes life so much fun? God promised the world a Savior. A young teenage girl is holding the Lord of Lords in her womb. People weren't expecting that. They were expecting something extremely magnificent. God works in mysterious ways. Maybe you're going through something and you're waiting on the Lord. Blessed are you for believing in the promise God has for you. Just believe. That's all He wants.
I love in the story when shepherds and angels have an encounter. The angels are just so excited. They're singing! What a glorious sound to hear. I can't wait. Anyways, the shepherds told Mary and Joseph all the great things that the angels have just told them about their newborn son. Verse 19, But Mary was treasuring up all these things in her heart and meditating on them.
God has told you a promise. He's not going to let you down. When the promise came through, Mary treasured up all the wonderful blessings people were speaking over her and this Son of God that she was blessed to have. When God unveils His great promise to me, oh how I'm going to treasure and meditate on every detail that He set up to lead me to that moment.
Mary, what a woman. Jesus, what a Savior. God, what a divine planner. The only one I want to plan my life.
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
He Speaks
I go to an amazing church. Gateway Church in Southlake, Texas. The pastor is Robert Morris and he is one of the greatest teachers of the Word I have ever encountered. I could talk about how awesome my church is, or you can look for yourself at gatewaypeople.com
Anyways, I bring that up to say that the series we just finished up on was called "Frequency." It's all about tuning in and hearing God. Yes, hearing the Creator of the universe. Shocking to some of you I'm sure, but not shocking to all. It's biblical to say that God speaks to us today. We're even told in Acts 2 that we can all prophesy. Alright, before the "Frequency" series I had heard God. There have been specific times in my life where I know that I know that I know. I heard Him. But, when we started this series, it was like Satan turned it around to discourage me. I was believing lies. "You can't hear God like these older people can. You're too young." "You aren't hearing God all the time like the pastor." "You'll never get there." Those lies were shut up when I was told by someone that hearing God is a learning process. You're in a relationship. In a relationship you talk to this person everyday, right? You also are there to listen to them. Then I started thinking, am I taking the time to listen? Am I tuning into the frequency of God's voice?
About two days ago, I tuned in.
I have been praying for God just to show me something. Anything God. Like I said before, I had seen things and heard things from God, but it has been forever since He's spoken to me. I felt like He was listening to me and then there was nothing. No response. "What the heck God?! I have spent time with You everyday and still nothing?" Silence.
I was sitting in a McDonald's and having my quiet time and lunch with God. I started thinking about all the things God has done in my life. I started thanking Him for what He was doing in me and through me. I had just a rush of love overwhelm to the point of tears in this McDonald's. It's like I tuned in. "Imagine how that feels all the time." Wow. God? Did I just hear that? God spoke to me in a McDonald's. A 24/7 kind of love. Thanks for reminding me.
So, you think after that I could say, "alright, that's all I needed to hear." Um, absolutely not! I want more and more is what I got. On Halloween night, two of my friends invited me to go see a Shane and Shane concert. The last song was an old hymn. I sat there on the lawn next to my friends and just shut my eyes. It felt so good outside. I sat there and just imagined that one day, this will be what we'll be doing for eternity. Then I started to pray for my friends. I prayed for the Lord to show me something for my friend...Something encouraging for her. While I was praying God gave me a vision. (Oh, we can also see visions according to Acts 2). I saw my friend with her arms up and spinning. While this was happening she was looking up and gold was showering done over her. She was shining. Then she began to act goofy and silly, and God told me, "That's what I love about her." I saw it all so quickly and just had a smile on my face. I asked God for an opportunity to tell her and right at that moment He did. I began to tear up while telling my friend the encouraging vision I just saw. She teared up too.
God is so cool. It gets better... The next day I decided to look in my Bible for some kind of confirmation of what God showed me. He brought me to Isaiah 60:1-7.
1 Arise, shine, for your light has come,
and the glory of the LORD shines over you.
2 For look, darkness covers the earth,
and total darkness the peoples;
but the LORD will shine over you,
and His glory will appear over you.
The other verses are all about God's blessings for those radiant people. God then told me that He's wanting us to "arise" from our circumstance, our low point, our struggles, our worries, our to-do lists and "SHINE." Arise from the lowness and sit at Jesus' feet. It's like the story of Martha and Mary in Luke 10. Mary chose to sit at Jesus' feet while Martha was consumed with all she had to do. Arise and let Jesus' light shine on your face.
God speaks. He speaks to an 18 year old college student just like He speaks to a pastor of a mega church. He speaks. You just have to tune in.
Blessings!
Samantha
P.S.
There was so much I learned from this series. You can watch it online at the site I gave you in the sermon archives under media. :)
Anyways, I bring that up to say that the series we just finished up on was called "Frequency." It's all about tuning in and hearing God. Yes, hearing the Creator of the universe. Shocking to some of you I'm sure, but not shocking to all. It's biblical to say that God speaks to us today. We're even told in Acts 2 that we can all prophesy. Alright, before the "Frequency" series I had heard God. There have been specific times in my life where I know that I know that I know. I heard Him. But, when we started this series, it was like Satan turned it around to discourage me. I was believing lies. "You can't hear God like these older people can. You're too young." "You aren't hearing God all the time like the pastor." "You'll never get there." Those lies were shut up when I was told by someone that hearing God is a learning process. You're in a relationship. In a relationship you talk to this person everyday, right? You also are there to listen to them. Then I started thinking, am I taking the time to listen? Am I tuning into the frequency of God's voice?
About two days ago, I tuned in.
I have been praying for God just to show me something. Anything God. Like I said before, I had seen things and heard things from God, but it has been forever since He's spoken to me. I felt like He was listening to me and then there was nothing. No response. "What the heck God?! I have spent time with You everyday and still nothing?" Silence.
I was sitting in a McDonald's and having my quiet time and lunch with God. I started thinking about all the things God has done in my life. I started thanking Him for what He was doing in me and through me. I had just a rush of love overwhelm to the point of tears in this McDonald's. It's like I tuned in. "Imagine how that feels all the time." Wow. God? Did I just hear that? God spoke to me in a McDonald's. A 24/7 kind of love. Thanks for reminding me.
So, you think after that I could say, "alright, that's all I needed to hear." Um, absolutely not! I want more and more is what I got. On Halloween night, two of my friends invited me to go see a Shane and Shane concert. The last song was an old hymn. I sat there on the lawn next to my friends and just shut my eyes. It felt so good outside. I sat there and just imagined that one day, this will be what we'll be doing for eternity. Then I started to pray for my friends. I prayed for the Lord to show me something for my friend...Something encouraging for her. While I was praying God gave me a vision. (Oh, we can also see visions according to Acts 2). I saw my friend with her arms up and spinning. While this was happening she was looking up and gold was showering done over her. She was shining. Then she began to act goofy and silly, and God told me, "That's what I love about her." I saw it all so quickly and just had a smile on my face. I asked God for an opportunity to tell her and right at that moment He did. I began to tear up while telling my friend the encouraging vision I just saw. She teared up too.
God is so cool. It gets better... The next day I decided to look in my Bible for some kind of confirmation of what God showed me. He brought me to Isaiah 60:1-7.
1 Arise, shine, for your light has come,
and the glory of the LORD shines over you.
2 For look, darkness covers the earth,
and total darkness the peoples;
but the LORD will shine over you,
and His glory will appear over you.
The other verses are all about God's blessings for those radiant people. God then told me that He's wanting us to "arise" from our circumstance, our low point, our struggles, our worries, our to-do lists and "SHINE." Arise from the lowness and sit at Jesus' feet. It's like the story of Martha and Mary in Luke 10. Mary chose to sit at Jesus' feet while Martha was consumed with all she had to do. Arise and let Jesus' light shine on your face.
God speaks. He speaks to an 18 year old college student just like He speaks to a pastor of a mega church. He speaks. You just have to tune in.
Blessings!
Samantha
P.S.
There was so much I learned from this series. You can watch it online at the site I gave you in the sermon archives under media. :)
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