So… is God Bragging on you? Are you walking in a dark storm or long valley right now in your spiritual walk with God? Are your plans just not happening the way you thought they would? Is the bank account empty and the job pool thin? Has Is your health or the health of someone you love in serious need of healing? Does it seem that everything you attempt turns to failure and you’ve just lost so much? Do your friends come to console you with words that mock your faith or with words that falsely accuse you of being foolish and self absorbed? WELL, JOIN THE JOB CLUB! I’m a member myself- not by choice, but none the less…

I recently heard a great message from a pastor, and in this message he asked this question- “Is God Bragging On You?” I thought to myself… “I don’t think so; not with the way things are happening here.” He proceeded to read the scripture in Job where Satan tells God that Job loves him only because of the good that God has given to him… but see- that’s was not true because God knew Job’s heart. Though Job was extremely blessed by God, God Himself knew that Job loved Him.

Does God know your heart? Do you know your heart? Scripture says that

“The heart is more deceitful than all else
And is desperately sick;
Who can understand it?
I, the LORD, search the heart,
I test the mind,
Even to give to each man according to his ways,
According to the results of his deeds.” – Jeremiah 17:9-10

I could have titled this “Let’s Get to the Heart of the Matter” or “Do You Know Your Heart?” or something like that, but God really laid it on my heart to title it as I did, because He wants you to know that HE is proud of you. Let’s face it, many things in life cause us to doubt or question, and for those of us, who have laid down our lives to follow Him and are earnest to stay focused on Him, walking daily in the Word… well, it just seems unfair and unjust. Dark shadows and deep valleys of life have caused me to question my heart and my faith… Am I doing something wrong? Did I miss God? Did I hear Him correctly? Is He mad at me?

Have you been asking these questions? Are you feeling this way? Well… Has it ever crossed your mind that maybe… just maybe God is testing your heart and mind to shut the enemy up? After all scripture does say that satan (doesn’t even deserve a capital “s”) is “the accuser of the brethren”; and just as he stood before the throne of God and blabbed nonsense concerning Job, what if he has done this concerning you? Folks, we know that there is nothing good in and of our selves, and all we are is due to God’s mercy and grace; but don’t think for one moment that He is not proud of you. He sees your heart a fire for Him; and He sees when you are walking in diligence and truth. He takes notice when you go against the popular flow. HE SEES IT ALL! Not that we can do this in and of our own strength, but it is our conscious choice to stand against the strong forces and temptations because of our love for Him, and He sees. Today, Jesus wants you to know that HE SEES YOU doing what is right and good, and HE IS PROUD OF YOU and HE IS SHOWING YOU OFF!!

BE ENCOURAGED!!

Melissa

“And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap a harvest if we do not lose heart.” Gal 6:9 NIV

“For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Eph 2:10 NIV

We are living in perilous times as described in 2 Timothy 3:1: “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.” But the prophet Daniel reminds us that: “The people who do know their God shall be strong and do exploits.” (Daniel 22:32) In the midst of the shaking, God promises grace and strength and hope.

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Are you ready for the pouring out of His Spirit (Joel 2:28) ?  In John 14:12 Jesus said, ”Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do…”  I AM READY, LORD.

Pour out your Spirit and count me in!

Last night I had the awesome pleasure of being involved in an IMB (International Mission Bord) missionary commissionning service.  I was moved to tears just hearing the hearts of those who are called to the mission field.  I was taken back to see what all they gave to follow the call of God on their lives- Professional men and women who gave up thier careers! Young mothers and fathers who heard the call and packed up their young families to go to places that I would think were too dangerous for Christians to be! There were testimonies of brand new homes that were put back on the market after just being bought, luxuries that were given up, incomes that went from $100,000 a year to nothing… all for the Glory of God. Now, I want a faith like that! But to have a faith like that isn’t free… there is a cost…

After the Minister and President gave the messege, he then challenged everyone with these words “Lord, I’ll do whatever the next step in missions is.”  The only words that could come out of my mouth were “I am not my own, I was bought with a price. Lord, have your way in me.”  Im not saying that I am feeling the call of leaving my home or country; but what I am saying is “Lord, I am willing to loose it all for You, for Your name’s sake.” And if by some chance down the road it did mean God calling Darren, me and our precious children to “go ye therefore”, we will go.  We will give our lives to Him- because He gave His life for us.

Let us be in prayer for our brothers and sisters who have answered the call.  God Bless Them!!

Hosannah!!

Today, I am captivated by You love and Your heart for me.  I love you, Lord, and I know you love me! I have so much joy in my heart for what you are doing in my heart which is affecting my life and my testimony.  I am so thankful for Your promises which are faithful and true.  You promise that You will never leave me or forsake me!  Who am I that You are mindful of me?

“So faithful. So constant. So merciful and true.  So powerful in all you do.
You fill me. You see me. You know my every move. You love for me to sing to You.
I know that You are for me…” You Are For Me, K. Jobe

The valleys have been deep.  My Cross has been heavy.  I am thankful that in these times You have shown me that You are all I need.  I love how I am so dependent on You. I love how You are jealous for me.  I am so loved. I am overwhelmed. You are God. You are MY GOD!

      The LORD your God is with you,
       he is mighty to save.
       He will take great delight in you,
       he will quiet you with his love,
       he will rejoice over you with singing.”~ Zephaniah 3:17

I am so amazed at the Love that the Father has for me.  I cannot contain my joy to think that He rejoices in me!  I think to myself “Lord, who am I that You are mindful me? Have I not failed you time and time again? Yet you continue to help me mount up with the wings as eagles.  You encourage me to run and NOT be weary. You urge me to walk and NOT faint.  You are for me. You have a plan and a purpose for my life, I give it back to you!”

Know this today, oh weary soul… God Loves you! God is wildly passionate about you!  He is never to far that His arm cannot save.  His love for you is eternal- even when you fall into sin.  His heart breaks for you. You are the reason- myself included- that He sent His Son Jesus to take your place on death’s cross.  Nothing you can do can make Him love you more. He Loves you and is waiting!

I came across this video from a friend on Facebook.  This video touched my heart immensely, because it talks about a man on George St in Sydney, Australia that made a huge impact in heaven.  He wasn’t famous while he was here on this earth.  His ace never graced the front page of the news papers of the covers of a magazine, but in Heaven I am sure that he received a huge reward for his diligence in sharing the Gospel. 

Just today during my quiet time while I was reading Psalm 51, I got a revelation from the Lord- I needed a deeper passion for the lost!  In verse 14 it says, “Save me from blood guilt, O God, the God who saves me…”
This really made me stop what I was doing, because in the previous verses 12 it says “grant me a willing spirit” and in13 it says, “Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will turn back to you.”  Mind you, I’m not meaning to take the text out of context; it’s just these words stuck out to me. Especially “Save me from blood guilt…”

I thought I had a passion for the lost.  I DO have a burden. I even have a prayer journal with a lot of names of individuals that do not know Christ and if they were to die, they’d go to hell.  But the prayer journal isn’t enough. My prayers aren’t even enough.  It takes more than a burden.  I need a holy God-given Passion for the Lost. The kind of passion that God has for His creation.  The passion that causes grief in the heart of God that says should anyone die without salvation that comes only from his Son Christ, will be separated from Him FOREVER.   

I need a Holy fire- a Holy Passion for the Lost!  See, when I don’t share my faith openly and with purpose- when Im not on the platform- I am guilty of blood shed!  Because I have the answer to life and death!!  I know the One who holds the keys to life and death- and that is JESUS CHRIST!!

Father God, please forgive me for the lazy heart within me.  I have really taken your grace and my salvation for granted.  Lord, I don’t want to be guilty of blood shed.  Please give me a PASSION for those who are lost!  Place with in me the love that You have for Your creation.  Lord, I lay me down to be used of You to  impact the Kingdom of Heaven.   

Do you have that Holy God-given Passion to share the Good News of Christ?  If not, YOU CAN!

God Bless You today as you ponder this thought.

My little four year old just adores her daddy. She always seeks his approval on just about everything “Daddy, does my hair look good?” “Daddy, what do you think about this?” “Daddy, do I look pretty?” “Go Cowboys! Right daddy?”

I would say that they have a very special relationship. I know I have said it before, and here it goes again- I learn so much about my relationship with God through my children!

I look at Eliana and I am amazed at how much she loves Darren. His opinion of her means so much to her. Plus, she is always seeking ways to please him. Observing her has made me stop and think about my relationship with my Heavenly Father. Am I seeking His approval in everything I do and say? Does His opinion of me really mean that much to me? We really take for granted the freedom we have when it comes to our Father. The Lord through my little Eliana has really been speaking to my heart about many things and one of those things is seeking His approval on everything, because He wants to be a part of everything in my life- not just the “important stuff”. This past year and a half, I have come to know what God’s perfect will vs. what God’s permissive will is. His perfect will is His perfect plan that has already been laid out for my life. His permissive will is that of a little detour from His perfect will. This allows me to get what I want only to realize that I didn’t fully seek His perfect will by seeking His approval and trusting His heart. Yep, I have been there, and in the pleasure of getting my way (not the Father’s perfect will), I have come to know disappointment. However, I am very grateful to the Father for His perfect Love and Grace. Like any good parent, the Lord wants His children to learn a few good lessons, and what more important of a lesson can we learn than to learn to trust Him completely and ask for His approval first. I have come to the point of wanting to ask God’s permission for everything. Here is what Paul said. “Everything is permissible”—but not everything is beneficial. “Everything is permissible”—but not everything is constructive.”? What did God say In Isaiah 55:8-9, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.” I want God’s best in this journey I am on. I don’t want to waste time because time is too short so I’m going to go to the One who ordains my days and seek his approval on everything…

God Bless Your Day!

A few years ago while going through yet another time of the Lord teaching me about my role in life as a minister, I was sitting early one morning having my quiet time with Him. I was broken. I felt so ugly and unused. I felt as though I was out high on a shelf and forgotten about. As I was pouring my heart out to Him in my journal, the Lord spoke to me and asked this question, “Who gets the glory, the trumpet or the trumpeter?” I was stunned. This question I heard that was very gentle and deep in my spirit spoke very loud to my conscious. I knew that this was the Lord asking me for what purpose and for whom was I singing. My heart was touched and I was changed. I had a new focus and I renewed my vow to sing unto the Lord in whatever song I was singing whether it be Gospel, Broadway, Classical… I would lift Him up and give honor to Him.

I believe that all music is the Lord’s. It was His from the beginning. He created it. I’ll never forget, when I was about 7 years old, I noticed that all the songs that played on the radio were about love. I asked my mom why that was, and she replied “… because love is what makes the world go around”. That is so true because God is love. 1 John 4:16 says, “…we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. Colossians 1:16 says that “… by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him.

I am a vessel to be used of Him; and I consider it a great honor and privilege. My heart is that through this ministry many will come to know Him as Savior and Lord and will come to have a more intimate walk with Him and a greater love for Him. It’s an amazing thing that the vast universe that we live in cannot contain Him, but our hearts can. What’s even more amazing is that He chooses to live in our hearts.

It’s so important for you to know that you are highly favored and dearly loved! Walk in Him and enjoy your life with Him. I am humbled that he chose me and amazed that He can use me.