Our worth

There were 2 friends walking and one of them states "here follow me, I want to show you something" he had just come from the ATM machine and proceeded to walk into a local café. She followed him in there wondering what he was going to show her. He proceeds to lay cash on the table and quickly walks away beckoning her to follow at a fast pace. She is boggled by what just occurs but goes with it. As she is wondering about what just happened he asks her, " do you know how much money I just put down in there?" she replies no. He tells her it was 20 bucks. He then asks if she knows why he did that. She guesses that he must have done that to "to be nice to someone?" "No" he responds. " Someone is going to come along and find that money and snatch it up because its 20 bucks. You are worth more than 20 dollars and when someone sees you, they are going to snatch you up because of your worth." Well needless to say that made her feel like she was worth more than 20 bucks but more like a million dollars! That is how God sees us. We may only see our worth as a piece of paper that can only be used for a certain amount of time before we are all used up, but God sees us as priceless. He sees our worth and picks us from this world. He sees what we don't see in ourselves. We may just be lying on a street corner or maybe living in an abusive home, or dealing with a tough situation that we don't feel like we will ever escape from. God sees where we are and he will send the right person at the right time to "snatch us up" and use us for God's kingdom.

The sacrifices of life

Abraham was asked to sacrafice the one thing he loved with all of his heart. The thing he desired and had prayed to God for. I can imagine him up there with tears in his eyes, the knife in his hand, readying himself to sacrifice his son. I imagine his throat was closed up and he could barely utter a word, but he knew that if God had asked him to do this deed, there was a reason for it. No matter the end result he trusted that God knew best. I also think he contemplated whether God would allow his son to still live even if Abraham saw this through. He trusted God no matter what. How many things do we offer to God as a sacrifice. When God asks us to sacrifice that one thing that we ultimately desire in our hearts, can we do it? Can we put it on the altar and sacrfice it to God trusting that He will provide a sacrfice in place of it? How far are we willing to go? What does God ask us to sacrifice? Has he asked you to sacrfice a life of happiness for a focused life that is committed to His will? Has he asked you to ever give up anything that meant the world to you? Think of something that is so dear to you it could be a person, a goal in life, a desire to attain or obtain something, an object of affection...the list goes on. We all have them. We all have that one thing that as life has gone on we long for that keeps us moving forward. The hope of getting to that goal keeps us moving on days we just want to drop and stay down. That desire you long for day in and day out, a life of happiness if only you had this one thing in your arms. Think of it. Picture the details to this desire you have. Imagine you have it or are so close to having it. Like a baby learning to crawl and you put those keys just where they can't reach them so it inspires them to move forward then as soon as they reach them...SNATCH! You pick them right up and move them again. Abraham finally had his son. In fact he had him for several years now. I don't think God told him in the beginning when Isaac was a child that eventually he would have to offer him as a sacrifice. Abraham had attained the one possession he so desired...his son. Then several years come and go Abraham is satisfied with his promised child and suddenly God appears to change things a bit in his life. Abraham finds himself choosing to offer up that child to God. God demanded it, so to Abraham and his faith that was the decision. He states that God would provide himself a sacrifice. Do we trust God enough to provide a sacrifice.

Why wounds itch...

The other day I scraped my hand on a board and a few layers of skin became less of my hand and more of the board I was working on. It hurt needless to say but now a week or so later its healing as it should. But it is more irritating now that it is healing than when I hurt it. Why? It itches and itches and itches. Do you find the deeper more severe the wound the more it itches when healing? The little ones don’t bother you much, they heal the scab falls off and on you go. But the deeper more severe the wound, the more area it covers, the more blood it spills…these are the ones that really itch when healing. I tried researching why do wounds itch when they heal and I found a few theories: -scabs are dry and rough, and when partnered with the development of new skin, they can stimulate the itch you feel as the wound begins to heal, new skin may be more sensitive, which may lead to more itching sensations. - new nerve growth causes signals to be received and sent to stimulate healing and this can feel itchy under your wound So if we understand that when we have been physically hurt, usually by my own doing due to clumsiness, our body begans to repair itself. The healing process begins. But as it heals in the later stages the irritation comes back in a different form no longer are you feeling pain but its replaced by an itch. Itches can be annoying, distracting, irritating and so on, especially if no matter what you do the itch can not be relieved until the healing process is finished and the new skin is done growing. If we compare this to life’s hurts and wounds. The deeper the wound the more irritation you may have when that wound is trying to heal in the later stages. Right before its completely healed the irritation can be at its worst! New growth is occurring, new feelings are taking the place of the old hurtful ones. The damaged area that you used to feel pain in is now replaced with new feelings you hadn’t felt in this are before. You may be feeling frustration at letting go, feeling lonely because you are no longer in the company of your pain, you may even feel a longing for the new “skin” to grow faster! New does not mix well with old so there is friction and irritation that occurs as the old is passing away and the new is being born. Matthew 9:16-17 discusses this with material and wine. Jesus tells us that putting old cloth with new fabric will cause the tear to become worse! And new wine into old bottles will cause the bottles to break! So when you have been wounded be prepared for the healing process. Once the pain is dissipated be ready for the next feelings to come along before joy can be attained. Wounds will be a part of life, so get good at knowing the healing process and where you are at in it. I am constantly hurting myself and it’s not usually caused by other people…hmmm sounds like another blog for another time. ;) Please read my blog on Scars for more about healing.

Going through the fire

Daniel 3:19-27 Three men entered the fiery furnace because they were unilling to compromise God's commandments. The men that threw them in there were consumed by the fire. What was used to bind these men was consumed by the fire. The remained in the fire for a bit of time but then were summoned out by the one that cast them in to the furnace of flames. When they left the furnace and came out, they neither smelled of smoke, or had any residue of the fire whatsoever on them. There are a few points here that we can put into place in our own lives. 1. The king demanded they be placed in the furnace that was heated up times hotter than normal. Sometimes God will demand of us to walk in the fire of life and it may be heated up extra just for us to increase faith not only in us but in others that are watching our lives unfold. But do not forget God is watching us and never leaves His eyes off of us. He will call us out of the fire when He is ready. When the timing is right, He will bring us out into victory. 2.Daniel 3: 20,22 The men that threw them in the fire were consumed by the fire. These were the most mighty men it states. The king had chosed his most mighty men to be in charge of binding them and putting them in the fire. Their may be people responsible for putting us into tight positions. But they are only tools of God. God has used them to put us where we need to be at any given time but He will then remove them from our lives. They may not stay in our lives forever, but just temporarily enough to get us where God wants us to be. Don't focus on these men, they are only doing they have been ordered to do. Focus on the King who has given the order for He as full control of the situation at hand. Don't let offenses come, these people are only preparing you for what God has in store. Sometimes, it means they have to be the ones to bind you and direct you to the fire. 3. Daniel 3:21,25 What was used to bind these men was also consumed by the fire. Circumstances that the devil has meant to harm you and prevent you from doing the work of the Lord will be consumed and burnt away. Situations that should have weakened you will be melted away and in them you will find strength from God. For you are not alone in the fire, God is with you. He will endure what we endure. God will take away what should have bound you and allow you to be free. What was meant for evil God meant it to be good (Genesis 50:20) 4.Daniel 3:26-29 After walking around in the fire the same King that demanded them to be thrown in there, commanded them out. He came near to the fire and called them. God knows the perfect amount of time for us to remain in the fire before He calls us out. He knows who is watching us and the right time for us to finally make it through. He knows the steps we must take before the trial can end. If it's too short not enough things can take place for God's work to be finished in other's hearts. It's not just about me or you who is going through the fire, but it may be about the onlookers, God may be dealing with someone else that you are completely unaware of. 5. Daniel 3:27 The people standing by saw the fire had no power on their bodies, no hair was singed, nor did they even smell of smoke. You know when you are even near a fire you will have the smell of fire on your clothes. But not them. God protected them that when they came out not a hair was touched nor did the have any residue of the fire on them whatsoever. They came out of the fire untouched by the flames. The only thing different about them was they were no longer bound. God will bring you through and if you enter the fire bound up rest assured when you come out no residue of the situation will linger on you and you will be set free from whatever bound you in the first place. Trust God when He puts you in the furnace, no matter how long you remain when you come out, you will be free. I don't know about you but I can remember going through the fire. It seemed like I was never getting out. But the one thing I knew God was with me. I know the person that put me in the fire and God did consume that very person. It was my job not to hold onto bitterness toward them as they were just a tool. When God was finished using them, He stepped in and took care of them. I want to be used by God but not as a tool to cause someone to enter the fire as His judgement will come forth as I was able to watch unfold. I thank God for the fire as when I was summoned out, I was a new person. It wasn't easy walking around in the fire waiting for my King to call me out, as a matter of fact, I tried leaving my fire early but He would not have it. He called me out in His timing. To this day, I see others that have gone through similar fires and they smell of the smoke, their hairs are singed from it and that is because they did not have God with them, they did not call on His name when they entered in. Thankfully when I was cast in the fire, I knew God and knew that He was protecting me while the fire burned around me. It was hot, intimidating, and sometimes lonely but looking back, I know see the hand of God working all along. I pray this finds you well and makes sense. I pray that God fills in the gaps here that I may have left out. Study this story and pray that God reveals to you what He revealed to me.

Hustle530 Mudrun 2013

Hustle530 Mudrun in Oroville, CA kickoff

The pit

Staying strong...

Finished strong...NOT!!!

...and the fun part...clean up!

This weekend was our mudrun that we have been training for. We have worked hard for 9 weeks training and increasing endurance so we could do it. It was funner than I ever imagined. It was hard enough to make me work at it but easy enough to not scare me off of future runs. We were called the "skirt squad". We represented other Pentecostal girls that are told.."you can't do that in a skirt!" and survived! I am hooked on future runs but this was by far worth all the training that Jessica made me do. What an awesome way to end my year and get ready to be another year older. YEAH! Life is hard, run harder!!!

Too Blessed to be Stressed OR too Stressed to be Blessed


Have you ever seen this saying “TOO blessed to be stressed”? When I see
this it really makes me think. Am I? Do I have so many blessings that
there is no reason why I need to be stressed? Why can’t I feel this
way? When I begin to look at my blessings and where God has brought me
from, I immediately feel less stressed. My past begins to remind me
that I don’t deserve my present or my future that God has promised me.
Then God reminds me of His grace and faithfulness and His mercy. I
remember that God has abundantly blessed me and why should I be
stressed at this present time over something so minor. When I remember
where I came from, what I used to fear, things that I would face on a
daily basis- TRUE STRESS, it reminds me that what I face now is so
minor. I am too blessed to be stressed. But….

Sometimes….I become so stressed that I don’t remember how blessed I
am. My stress overrules my blessings. The stress of this world weighs
on me and pulls my blessing out from underneath me. All the things God
has done for me fade into the background and I only see the stress of
things to be done, people that let me down, and the daily hustle and
bustle of life in general. I become too stressed to be blessed. Being
blessed is not just receiving things from God. Being blessed is a
mentality. It’s a way of thinking that God has His hand in your life
daily, moment by moment He is watching and working in your life and
guiding each step you take. Maybe He is carrying you in your low
times. He is guiding you and helping you accomplish His will for your
life. What more of a blessing is there than to have the CREATOR OF THE
UNIVERSE watching my life and guiding my steps?! He loves me… God
loves me…and sinner…a worm…made from dirt…GOD LOVES ME! That is the
blessing! No one can take that away and that is what blessings are,
non disposable gifts from God.

So ask yourself today…Are you too blessed to be stressed or too
stressed to be blessed...?

Trees are like people...

Have you ever just really thought about the types of trees that are out there? Right now they are beginning to bud new flowers because it's the change of season right now. Interesting though some trees are still hanging on to their old leaves...Why? It makes them look so ugly. Don't they know you are so much more beautiful if you let go of old stuff and allow the new buds to bloom? Then you have these trees that are still barren of new life but we all know that in just a little while they will bring forth beautiful flowers of their own. Let's look at the evergreen tree. They are just always green. Every once in a while they will drop a few dead limbs or dead pine needles but overall they are still green all year long. Some trees need to be pruned back to their main limbs whereas other trees only need a little pruning along the way.
Now lets think about people...how many people do you know are like a tree that I described above? How many times do we ourselves represent a tree. Psalm 1:3 states ...and he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season, his leaf also shall not wither, and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.  That is what God meant for us if we walk not in the counsel of the ungodly or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of the scornful but delight ourselves in the law of the Lord. But so many times we allow life to get us down. Something bad happens in our life, something that is dead and gone. We are meant to bury it under the blood but we don't. We hold on to it and this prevents God from blooming anything new in our life. Then sometimes we need to be pruned and shaped as God sees fit. He cuts back things in our life that He knows are not going to be productive. It hurts us and sometimes we look so bare that you would not think we are ever going to produce anything for God again. Have you ever seen those trees that they cut completely back? Its amazing how full they are in the summer time again. Then we are like those evergreens that rarely require maintenance. God just causes the wind to blow and they prune themselves of unproductive limbs. They drop their own dead fruit. But even evergreens can die and need to be cut completely down. So no matter what kind of tree you are, allow God to prune you. Allow yourself to drop your dead leaves, so you can look beautiful when it's your time to bloom.