• The Lord said,”Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.” Then a great and powerful wind”tore the mountains apart and shattered” the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.

Today the Lord has caught my attention by the change in weather. It is September and last night there was thunder and wind howling in the night. Needless to say a sleepless night! Today, the wind was mysterious as it came and went, sometimes quiet and sometimew with a roar. The clouds have shown themselves as dark and spooky, but then I would loo the other direction and they were  white and full of grace. . It made me ponder how the Lord was going to show himself today. The wind really strikes me as I think of the Holy Spirit and how He is around us and within us at all times. Have you experienced the presence of the Holy Spirit? Or maybe you have, but are unaware of him…..

In the passage, in 1Kings19:1-20, Elijah is discouraged and running for his life. He was lonely and scared as he just experienced  the kings court and the priesthood become corrupt. He felt like he was the only one left true to God and so he fled to Mount Sinai where God had spoken to Moses.He was waiting for the Lord to show himself in a miraculous way! Through the scriptures we realize the the Lord doesn’t always show himself in powerful and miraculous ways like the wind, earthquakes, or fire. Instead, the Lord sometimes shows himself  in just a simple whisper.

As I listened to the roar of the wind today…it reminded me to be aware of the the gentle whisper of the Lord and to open my heart and be humble before Him. God does show himself in miraculous ways, but most often He shows himself with just a gentle whisper. Are we missing it? Are you listening for God? Are your ears and eyes open to His mysterious ways?

I pray that today you would step back from the busyness of the day and  from the worries in your heart, and instead quiet your heart, turn to God and listen for the voice of the Lord…..be ready, He may come when you least expect it!

Psalm 95:6-7

May He show himself to you today as you search for the whisper…Psalm 62:1-2.

His Spirit dwells within us. In 1 Corinthians verse 19 Paul tells us that our body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in us and was given to us by God. I have mixed views on this truth as I rejoice knowing that the Holy Spirit is with me always and that I can turn to Him anytime and ask for guidance and reassurance that I am making the right decision. But then there is the other side of me that is fearful that the Lord is with me at all times because I mess up and make the wrong turn daily! Is He furious with me raising His hands is disbelief of my actions? Is  He ready to slap me upside the head and open my eyes to my disobedience? It’s scary isn’t it!

Honestly though, I think that most of us would agree that we are grateful for the gift of the Holy Spirit, as our Spirit of Truth. When Jesus was getting ready to leave his disciples, he told them that he would be leaving ,but He promised to give them the Holy Spirit who would not just be with them, but in them (John14:16-17). He reassured them that even though He was going away…. it was better for them because the Counselor would come to them (John16:7). John 14:16 stated that the Father will give us another Advocate that will never leave us. It is the Holy Spirit who will lead us into all truth!! He promises that the Holy Spirit will help us remember His teachings! As we study the Bible, the Holy Spirit can help us as we trust in Him to plant His truths in our mind and remind us when we stray! The Holy Spirit brings us conviction and correction when we stray from His path. We know this as we hear that little voice telling us not to make a certain choice or we feel nautious or uneasy about a decision we have made. On the other hand the Holy Spirit brings us peace and quiet within our souls when we are following His ways! This reassures us we are on the right path.

Maybe you are having trouble hearing His Spirit or maybe you can’t differentiate between your own desires and His path. I pray that you would open your heart and place all distractions aside. I pray that you would focus on your Lord by opening His word and sitting silently before His thrown. Be still and know that He is God by surrendering to Him and pray for Him to answer your request according to His will! The Holy Spirit lives within you….He is closer than you could ever imagine. Open your eyes to see and your heart to understand!

Take some time today and seek Him! Place your faith in His promise that as you search for him, you will find him!

2 Chronicles 15:2

Prov 3:6

Matthew 7:7

” The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.” John 10:10

What things seem to steal, kill, or destroy your life? Maybe it’s the busyness around you, an illness, financial issues, bitterness, anger, a rough marriage, or negativity. These things take part of your life away don’t they? They bring heartache and difficulty. Wouldn’t you rather have a rich and satisfying life? What types of things would give you that? What brings you satisfaction and joy in your life? I would love to be in your head right now as you think of things that satisfy your life!! What overflows you with  joy deep down in your heart?

Lots of things satisfy us….at least for a while! I think of children when they open up their Christmas gifts and the joy radiating from them as they play with their new toys. But as we all know, that joy doesn’t last long ,as maybe a month goes by, and they are telling you they are bored! We get so annoyed at that don’t we!! But, I think as adults we need to turn that situation back on ourselves and dig deeper into our own hearts as we think about the things that bring us joy and satisfaction. What was on your list? Are the things that you were thinking of something that loses it’s joy as time goes by? Maybe a big house, an expensive car, or a vacation to the beach satisfies you! These satisfactions don’t last because eventually we want something else….kind of sounds like a child doesn’t it!?

As I have been taking time to reflect on WHO my God is, John 10:10 has been coming to me over and over. He gives abundantly. He came to give us a satisfying life. It is eternal, yet it begins immediately which means it isn’t just in Heaven, but that He gives us life here and now that is to be rich and full. It may be hard to see when you are going through difficult times. Many may be asking…is this the abundant life Jesus promised? Marriage difficulties, financial struggles, death, sadness, grief, hard times…this isn’t abundant life! What is Jesus talking about?

It has taken me a few years to grasp this concept. I remember asking a friend a few years ago where this abundant life was. I have just begun to realize that Jesus didn’t mean joy in all our circumstances. He didn’t mean that we wouldn’t struggle. Our abundant life is IN HIM not in this world. I am not saying that we don’t have joy in this world, but I am saying that our joy is made full in HIM. He is the one that gives abundantly. When you begin to grasp WHO your God is, you begin to see differently. You begin to look with different eyes…gazed upon Him and not on your circumstances and where life has placed you. Jesus comes alive IN YOU and consequently you have this abundant life that no longer is based on your possessions or surroundings, but instead on your heavenly father and all that HE GIVES…his comfort, his trust, his love, his forgiveness, his grace, his compassion, his gentleness, his kindness, his protection. All these things are constant and overflowing from our Heavenly Father. What can be more rich and more satisfying than that?

Take a few moments and read Psalm 63:1-5 , Proverbs 3:1-2 , Psalm 9:2 and reflect on the joy that the Lord brings to us. Take time to KNOW him and to reflect on the satisfaction that only he can give! Keep your focus on Him and enjoy the abundant life He offers to each of us as we take time to know our God!

” But you, O Lord, are a God of compassion and mercy, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness.” Psalm 87:15

I love this scripture verse as it is filled with such a vision of WHO our Lord is! He is a tender man! He is warm hearted and merciful! ! I picture myself looking in his eyes and seeing nothing but a heart that is open to all of his children regardless of the mistakes they have made. I see tenderness and love and grace beyond all measure.  I see a Father who wants nothing more than to spend time with his children and to help them to mature and grow in Him!

Today I want us to look in Mark 6 : 30-34 where Jesus feeds the five thousand. Many know this story, but today I want to focus on the beginning of the story as it teaches us about His compassion! The apostles had been out all day teaching and ministering to people. They were tired and hungry. Jesus said to them “Let’s go off by ourselves to a quiet place and rest awhile.”  Jesus said this because he knew that his friends needed some time to be refreshed and renewed. They had been serving all day and He could see they were tired and maybe even weary and of course hungry.  He was showing compassion as he sensed their needs and wanted them to know he cared about them. He knew that they were eager to minister to others but that they also needed to have time for rest and renewal. Jesus tells us this too as he says in Matthew 11:28 “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” Whether we carry a heavy load from serving in his name or from the day to day stresses, we need to spend time with Him to be renewed and refreshed!

As we read on in Mark, they left by boat for a quiet place…but many people recognized them and saw them leaving and ran ahead of them to meet them. Jesus saw the huge crowd and it says in verse 34 that he had compassion on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd.He could see that they were lost and searching! Are you lost and searching? I hope that this scripture gives you hope today! He  will continue to seek you too!! It says that people from many towns ran ahead along the shore and got there ahead of them. Maybe you are still running and wondering how to find Him! The scripture today shows us that Jesus has compassion on us! He was ready to be with his friends and to rest and be renewed but He saw his lost sheep and so he stopped and began teaching them. He didn’t want them to be scattered and lost! He wants all to come to HIM!  He wants to be our shepherd! No matter where we are…He will take the time to feed his sheep! He has compassion on us!

Lets look in Ezekiel 34:11-16! He is the Good Shepherd who will rescue his lost sheep! He tells us that He, himself, will search for his scattered flock and rescue us from the dark and cloudy day!! I love this scripture as He tells us that not only will he rescue us but also that he will provide for us in all ways! We will be fed on the mountaintops and by the rivers that continually flow. We will lie down in pleasant places and feed in lush pastures. He also promises that he will tend his sheep! He doesn’t ship us off to another person or leave us alone…he will tend to us personally and provide for us all that we need and most importantly give us peace! Another point that strikes me in these passages is that even though we stray and get lost, he promises to bring us back home safely!!

I don’t know about you, but I stray often and I choose to walk my own path. Usually, I come crawling back to my Lord injured and weak because I ended up on the wrong path and beaten down! I realize that I need to put my hope and my trust in Him and that I need to follow my shepherd instead of straying in the fields! In verse 16 He says he will bandage the injured and strengthen the weak…..now that is a Lord full of compassion!! 

“Great is Thy Faithfulness….morning by morning new mercies we see! All I have needed, thy hand has provided! Great is Thy Faithfulness!”  On His promises we stand secure!  We CAN trust in Him! I am about to burst at the seems as I think of how trustworthy He is! Throughout my life He has provided everything I have needed. He has been my solid rock and firm foundation. I  didn’t always see Him as my rock because  I was blinded by my circumstances and my focus was not on Him! However, as my faith has grown, my eyes have been open and I am beginning to see who my God is.  Where would I be without Him?  He has never failed me. He has been faithful. But have I trusted him along the way? That is another story!!

I think of the story in the Bible where the disciples are in the boat in the middle of the storm (Matthew 14:22-32) and Peter steps out onto the water. Peter is fine as long as he keeps his focus on Jesus, but as soon as he loses his focus and gets distracted by the waves and the storm, he begins to sink. His faith wavered as trouble came and his focus quickly turned from his Lord to his circumstances. How often does this happen to us? How often does our faith in him waver? Look at the way Jesus responded to Peter and his lack of faith…” You have so little faith! Why did you doubt me?”

He conquered the grave!! He is mightier than the mountains! Why do we doubt? I want to be like Peter and step out of the boat and trust that my Lord is going to keep me afloat!! I want to believe that my Lord is going to provide for my every need! I want to trust in Him that I will not sink when my storms come! How about you?? 

Trusting is hard to do! I think of my children as I want to trust them, but have seen them lie from time to time  to get their way or to get out of a punishment. I think of relationships where hurt and disappointment have occured and as a result my trust in them has been rocked. I think of our financial market and job security and know that we can’t count on those things as strongly as we used to. Trusting in our society today is very difficult to do.

The Bible says in Proverbs 3:5-6 to trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not depend on your own understanding. Seek His will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take!! Trust him with ALL of your heart that he will provide and that he will handle what you place at his feet! I read a quote the other day by Bridget Willard that says”We get so focused on micromanaging God and His Kingdom that we forget to realize that He is more than capable of handling things on His own”!  Isn’t that so true? He doesn’t need us to mess things up!! We get so caught up in trying to fix or manage our circumstances that we forget WHO is in control. We need to stop trying so hard and stop worrying so much and just allow Him to take control of our lives. Trust in Him! Seek Him! Surrender to Him and He will show you the way!

Peter believed that He could walk on water because Jesus was right there in front of him. He took the leap of faith and trusted in His Lord to direct his path and to keep him safe.  What in your life do you need to place at His feet? What areas in your life do you need to TRUST to Him? Is your focus on your Lord or on your circumstances? Don’t let your circumstances overwhelm you and keep you from looking towards Jesus! You might not see what he has planned for you and you most likely will not understand why you are in the middle of a storm!  Sometimes we are forced to take a leap of faith into the unknown! Faith is knowing that one of two things will happen…there will be something solid to stand firm on OR you will be taught to fly!! Trust in Him!

“Faith is to believe what you do not see, the reward of this faith is to see what you believe.” -Saint Augustine

I wanted to post some information about an event that the Wadsworth United Methodist Church is planning in 2 weeks. I hear Becky Harling is a wonderful speaker! You don’t want to miss this event!  Check it out:

Wadsworth United Methodist Church’s

Women’s Ministry Team

would like to invite you to attend:

“Unlocking the Beatitudes”

on Friday, September 25^th from 7:00 p.m. ~ 9:00 p.m. and

Saturday, September 26^th from 8:30 a.m. ~ 3:30 p.m.

 A life of heartbreak can indeed be blessed.  As a child who suffered sexual abuse, Becky Harling learned to live with an emotional script of shame, fear, and distrust. As an adult, she learned that life’s heartbreaks are many and varied. Determined to overcome her pain, Becky set out to rewrite the emotional script she had followed for years. Her search for healing led to Christ’s Sermon on the Mount, and what she discovered forever changed her life.  In her second book, Becky invites women to let go of past hurts and redefine how they respond to life’s emotional challenges. Based on the beloved words of the Beatitudes, Rewriting Your Emotional Script speaks directly to a woman’s unique struggles and shows how to find hope in life’s heartbreaks.

Please register no later than September 21^st at www.wadsumc.org or by calling Jennifer at (330) 336 – 7202.  The cost of this event is only $10.00 and includes refreshments, lunch and much more!

 “Blessed are the poor in spirit…those who mourn…the meek…those who hunger and thirst for righteousness…the merciful…the pure in heart…the peacemakers…those who are persecuted because of righteousness…you when people insult you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.”

“The scriptures give us hope and encouragement as we wait patiently for Gods’ promises to be fulfilled” Romans 15:4

How often do you look to scriptures for your Hope? I want you to think about that question for a moment as you look back at difficult times in your life. Where did you look for help and support? Did you go to a friend? Did you turn to a mentor? Did you take the conflict or difficult time on yourself and try to fight through it alone?  

Take a look at these verses  in Hebrews 6:18-19:

“We who have fled to him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us. This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain into Gods’ inner sanctuary.”

I love those words as they tell me that my hope is secure…anchored in God. As we run to Him for our safety and protection we can have confidence in Him. How many things do you really have confidence in right now? Are you confident of your financial state? Are you confident in your health? Do you have confidence in the security of your job? Do you have confidence of the safety of your children each day? Are you confident that your marriage is always going to be strong and secure? It is hard to have confidence in our daily lives isn’t it? We have obstactles that come our way that strain our confidence and we begin to doubt and worry.

But the scriptures tell us to wait patiently for God’s promises to be fulfilled. The scriptures tell us to put our Hope in Him! He is trustworthy! Look to Hebrews 10:23 as it tells us to hold tightly without wavering, for God can be trusted to keep His promises! He doesn’t waver! He is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow (Hebrews 13:8)! The Bible is full of His promises! Take some time today to look up some of His promises and remember that you can truly trust Him to fulfill them! Put your Hope in your Lord (Psalm 42:5) because when you put your hope in other things….disappointment and discouragement may come your way (Proverbs 13:12)!

Psalm 146:6

Psalm 145:20

Psalm 145:14

Psalm 121:1-8

Psalm 91:14-16

Put your Hope in the Lord and seek first His Kingdom above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need (Matthew 6:33)! Read Matthew 6:25-34 for encouragement and hope that the Lord will watch over you and provide for all your needs!

 

 

“What joy for those whose strength comes from the Lord, who have set their minds on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem.”

Psalm 84:5

I love this verse as it reminds me of my journey with Christ. It’s been 7 years this month that I began my pilgrimage to Jerusalmen! The more I travel, the more I realize that the journey is long and that as we  journey we come face to face with struggles and weeping as well as mountain top experiences. It’s like a roller coaster! I don’t know about you but as I get older, roller coasters aren’t as much fun as they used to be!!  I would rather be at the top hill and just sit there!

I have been praying alot lately about WHO my God is….and JOY has been coming to my mind constantly. He IS my JOY! I have come from the valley and am on my way up to the mountain top. Through my struggles, I have come to know WHO my God is. There have been many times when I questioned Him because he wasn’t there (at least I thought he wasn’t). There were many times when I put Him in a box and limited my thoughts of who He was and what He could do in my life. I couldn’t see Him and I felt like He wasn’t there at all. All I saw was darkness. As my struggles continued I began to doubt Him and His love for me. But His love remained! He is faithful to His children!  Why would He even want to help me when my faith waivered so much? Have you ever struggled so much that you truly did not trust in Him and His promises? Maybe you even pushed Him away or even questioned if there truly was a God!

The good news in my life, is that He never gave up on me. He continued to pursue me even though I had lost hope in Him. He helped me get back on my feet and He placed a desire in my heart to pursue Him. I set my mind on my pilgrimage towards Him and through my journey I have found joy again, in HIM!. He gave me strength to move forward and pulled me out of the pit I was in. If you continue to read in Psalm 84:6-7 you will be encouraged, as I was, that  as we walk through the Valley of Weeping, it becomes a place of refreshing springs. The Lord will provide for you in the valley and refreshment will come. There is NO JOY greater than knowing Him and seeing Him at work in your life! You will continue to grow stronger and you will appear before the Lord!  If you contine to pursue the Lord, He will give you strength to move through your valley! Make sure that in those times, that your pilgrimage moves towards God, not away from Him. He is a faithful and loving God (Psalm 36:5)! He cares for you!

I pray that you will find joy in your pursuit of Him. Read Psalm 84:1-4 and remember how lovely is His dwelling place and how much He wants to dwell within your heart! Give him the chance to be your JOY!!