Lies. Lies. ALL LIES!!

Lately, I've really been struggling.  Every now and then, I have these moments of insecurity that sneak up on me and before I know it, they have consumed my thoughts and my ability to think clearly.  I thought it might be therapeutic for me to put some of these thoughts down in writing, and then follow them up with what the Word of God says about them, as well.  Below is a list of lies I've recently bought into.  I'm so glad I went to the Word, because it was there that my Lord reminded me of just who I am and what He has to say about ME.  I pray you find some encouragement in the words below.

Lie: People don't really like you.  Actually, you get on everyone's nerves.
TRUTH: SO DO NOT THROW AWAY YOUR CONFIDENCE; IT WILL BE RICHLY AWARDED. YOU NEED TO PERSEVERE SO THAT WHEN YOU HAVE DONE THE WILL OF GOD, YOU WILL RECEIVE WHAT HE HAS PROMISED.  Hebrews 10:35-36

Lie: You're too over the top.  You're loud, obnoxious, and not that funny.
TRUTH: I WILL PRAISE YOU, O LORD MY GOD, WITH ALL MY HEART; I WILL GLORIFY YOUR NAME FOREVER.  FOR GREAT IS YOUR LOVE TOWARD ME; YOU HAVE DELIVERED ME FROM THE DEPTHS OF THE GRAVE.  Psalm 86:12-13

Lie: You're fat.  And pregnancy doesn't make you beautiful.  Actually, you're puffier than you've ever been and everyone can see your cellulite through your pants.
TRUTH: I PRAISE YOU BECAUSE I AM FEARFULLY AND WONDERFULLY MADE; YOUR WORKS ARE WONDERFUL, I KNOW THAT FULL WELL.  Psalm 139:14

Lie: You're dumb.  Any sense you actually have, you've had to work extra hard to acquire.  Please don't ever speak in public.  You just confirm what everyone thinks about you...you have no idea what you're talking about.
TRUTH: NOW TO HIM WHO IS ABLE TO DO IMMEASURABLY MORE THAN ALL WE ASK OR IMAGINE, ACCORDING TO HIS POWER THAT IS AT WORK WITHIN US, TO HIM BE GLORY IN THE CHURCH AND IN CHRIST JESUS THROUGHOUT ALL GENERATIONS, FOR EVER AND EVER!  AMEN. Ephesians 3:20-21

Lie: You're ugly.  Your chin jolts out.  Everyone can see your blackheads.  And that hair that keeps growing back on your chin, everyone knows about it.  No one has the nerve to say anything to your face.
TRUTH: CHARM IS DECEPTIVE, AND BEAUTY IS FLEETING; BUT A WOMAN WHO FEARS THE LORD IS TO BE PRAISED.  Proverbs 31:30

Lie: Your husband will leave you any day.  It won't be long before he gets sick of you and will long for another life and another family.  It can happen at any moment.  Yes, you are THAT replaceable.
TRUTH: HER CHILDREN ARISE AND CALL HER BLESSED; HER HUSBAND ALSO, AND HE PRAISES HER; "MANY WOMEN DO NOBLE THINGS, BUT YOU SURPASS THEM ALL."  Proverbs 31:28-29

Lie: You will never have a true female BFF.  They don't exist.  As soon as someone gets to know you, they run for the hills.  No one has the capability to truly accept you as who you are.
TRUTH: YOU ARE MY FRIENDS IF YOU DO WHAT I COMMAND.  I NO LONGER CALL YOU SERVANTS, BECAUSE A SERVANT DOES NOT KNOW HIS MASTER'S BUSINESS. INSTEAD, I HAVE CALLED YOU FRIENDS, FOR EVERYTHING THAT I LEARNED FROM MY FATHER I HAVE MADE KNOWN TO YOU.  YOU DID NOT CHOOSE ME, BUT I CHOSE YOU AND APPOINTED YOU TO GO AND BEAR FRUIT - FRUIT THAT WILL LAST.  THEN THE FATHER WILL GIVE YOU WHATEVER YOU ASK IN MY NAME.  John 15:14-16

Lie: You are a horrible mother.  Save your money so that you can reimburse your children for the money they will spend after years in therapy.  You are doing more damage than you realize.  Every bad habit your parents had with you is manifesting itself in your parenting, as well.  It can't be avoided.
TRUTH: HEAR, O ISRAEL: THE LORD OUR GOD, THE LORD IS ONE.  LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH.  THESE COMMANDMENTS THAT I GIVE YOU TODAY ARE TO BE UPON YOUR HEARTS.  IMPRESS THEM ON YOUR CHILDREN.  TALK ABOUT THEM WHEN YOU SIT AT HOME AND WHEN YOU WALK ALONG THE ROAD, WHEN YOU LIE DOWN AND WHEN YOU GET UP.  TIE THEM AS SYMBOLS ON YOUR HANDS AND BIND THEM ON YOUR FOREHEADS.  WRITE THEM ON THE DOOR FRAMES OF YOUR HOUSES AND ON YOUR GATES.  Deuteronomy 6:4-9

Lie: You will always battle insecurity.  It is not possible to find victory in this area of your life.  You came into this world as a weak, fragile female...and that is how you will spend your life.
TRUTH:  A WIFE OF NOBLE CHARACTER WHO CAN FIND?  SHE IS WORTH FAR MORE THAN RUBIES.  SHE IS CLOTHED WITH STRENGTH AND DIGNITY; SHE CAN LAUGH AT THE DAYS TO COME.  Proverbs 31:10, 25

Lie: You will never get over what your Dad did to you and your family.  In fact, you will quit loving him and actually start hating him.  As a result of that, you will grow to be an angry and bitter old woman.
TRUTH:  THEN PETER CAME TO JESUS AND ASKED, "LORD, HOW MANY TIMES SHALL I FORGIVE MY BROTHER WHEN HE SINS AGAINST ME?  UP TO SEVEN TIMES?"  JESUS ANSWERED, "I TELL YOU, NOT SEVEN TIMES, BUT SEVENTY-SEVEN TIMES.  Matthew 18:21-22

Lie: What you believe to be true about God and Jesus is just a myth.  There is no Heaven and there is no Hell.  When you die, you just die.  This is as good as it gets.  Enjoy your life now.  After death, there is nothing.  Jesus never came back to life after His crucifixion.  You and the rest of the Christian world have simply bought into a made-up Utopian-style fantasy world that never has and never will exist.
TRUTH:  AND I HEARD A LOUD VOICE FROM THE THRONE SAYING, "NOW THE DWELLING OF GOD IS WITH MEN, AND HE WILL LIVE WITH THEM.  THEY WILL BE HIS PEOPLE, AND GOD HIMSELF WILL BE WITH THEM AND BE THEIR GOD.  HE WILL WIPE EVERY TEAR FROM THEIR EYES.  THERE WILL BE NO MORE DEATH OR MOURNING OR CRYING OR PAIN, FOR THE OLD ORDER OF THINGS HAS PASSED AWAY."  HE WHO WAS SEATED ON THE THRONE SAID, "I AM MAKING EVERYTHING NEW!"  THEN HE SAID, "WRITE THIS DOWN, FOR THESE WORDS ARE TRUSTWORTHY AND TRUE."  Revelation 21:3-5

Lie:  God really doesn't love you like you think.  He is still disgusting with every mistake you ever made.  In fact, you might as well quit trying to earn His love.  You will never be good enough to be accepted or loved by the One who created you.  He has plans for other people...not you.
TRUTH:  FOR I KNOW THE PLANS I HAVE FOR YOU, DECLARES THE LORD, PLANS TO PROSPER YOU AND NOT TO HARM YOU, PLANS TO GIVE YOU HOPE AND A FUTURE.  THEN YOU WILL CALL UPON ME AND COME AND PRAY TO ME, AND I WILL LISTEN TO YOU.  YOU WILL SEEK ME AND FIND ME WHEN YOU SEEK ME WITH ALL YOUR HEART.  Jeremiah 29:11-13

TO THE JEWS WHO HAD BELIEVED HIM, JESUS SAID, "IF YOU HOLD TO MY TEACHING, YOU ARE REALLY MY DISCIPLES.  THEN YOU WILL KNOW THE TRUTH, AND THE TRUTH WILL SET YOU FREE."  John 8:31-32

Healer Of My Heart

Lord, I cry out to you on behalf of those who need Your healing.  For the sick, heal them in Jesus' Name.  For the lost, save them in Jesus' Name.  For the heartbroken, restore them in Jesus' Name.  For the addicted, break them in Jesus' Name.  For the angry, still them in Jesus' Name.  For the worried, calm them in Jesus' Name.  For the fearful, send forth Your peace in Jesus' Name.  For your children, love us in Jesus' Name.

Click on the link below and enjoy.  Stop what you are doing and worship your Heavenly Father, the Healer of our souls.

Healer Of My Heart by Sisters

Love,
Linds

I Am Just As Much Of a Jailbird As They Are

The other day, I passed several workers repaving a road near my home.  A couple of the workers had on black and white stripped outfits.  After a quick second, I realized who the workers were...prison inmates.  As I passed them by, I gave them a lazy wave.  In my mind, I also passed too many judgments on them to admit.  It didn't take but a few moments for the Lord to remind me that I was no better than they.  I know, in the eyes of society, what they've done makes them a criminal and therefore, having to wear a black and white jailbird outfit, is something they had coming to them.  I mean....they should've thought better before committing whatever crime it was they committed, right?  But in the eyes of the Lord, their sin was no worse than mine.  Whatever mistakes they made in life were no worse than the mistakes I've made in my life.  The only difference is that I didn't get arrested for mine.

You see?  In this world, we give sins some form of value.  We make certain sins worse than others.  And while I agree with anyone who says, "Well, having an affair on your spouse is definitely worse than saying a four-letter word after stumping your toe in the middle of the night," in the eyes of the Lord, truthfully, they are no different.  I bring this up only because not only have we given value to sin, we've allowed ourselves to excuse certain sins while not excusing others.  We say to ourselves, "Well, what he/she did is unforgivable."  What if that was the attitude of the Lord?  What if He chose to forgive only certain sins I had committed while not forgiving others?  Wouldn't that make what happened on the Cross a joke and pointless?

The truth is Christ forgives us for our sin each time we ask Him.  And I believe, He forgives us for sins we are completely oblivious to because He loves us and understands our human flaws.  Not only does He forgive us, but He forgets about them.  The Bible says He tosses them out as far as the east is from the west.  Bless God for that!!  So, my question is...if He can forgive me?  Why can't I forgive others?  We've all royally screwed up in our lives.  Truth be told, some of the things we've done really are unforgivable.  But because of the Cross, we have been forgiven.  I am no better than the inmates working alongside the road.  I am no better than the two criminals who were hanged on crosses opposite sides of Jesus at Calvary.  I am no better than the one person in my life who has hurt me the most.  I am no better than the woman who chooses to not like me because of my personality traits.  I am no better than the person who passes judgment on me each time she sees me based on information that was given to her by a dear loved one.  You see?  I am no better than anyone.  And neither are you.  We've been forgiven...REDEEMED...because of Jesus and the Cross.

Dear Lord,
Forgive me for when I have passed judgement on others.  Forgive me when I've bought into the stereotypes and actually believed I was better than someone else.  I am so ashamed.  Thank You for forgiving me.  Help me to remember the ONLY thing that makes me special is YOU and YOUR HOLY SPIRIT living in me.  Help me to see others the way YOU see them.  Give me Your eyes.  Give me compassion for Your children....the same compassion You've been so generous in giving me.  Help me to be a bold witness for Christ.  I pray that You will allow me to be light in the darkness.  Give me a sense of urgency to tell others what You've done in my life.  And if they find anything attractive in me, may it be only from You and about You.  You really do light up my life, Lord.  I love you, Jesus. -Amen

"Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult.  On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing." -1 Peter 3:9 (NIV)

Don't live your life missing out on the blessings God wants to give you.  He and they are totally worth it.
Linds

Get Right or Get Slapped

Life has a way of slapping you around.  The following is a list of "rules" my mother taught me as a young girl.  These rules can be AND should be applied well into adulthood.  Recently, I have found the adults in my world, including ME and MY big ol' SELF, are getting a little lackadaisical when it comes to common sense items which IS, in fact, the motivation behind this blog entry.  So without any hesitation, I present to you LA-LA's List of "Get Right or Get Slapped."

10.  When you pass folks on the street or in a room, offer them, at least, a smile.  A kind hello would work best.  This goes for anytime you are out in public EVEN and ESPECIALLY when you are at church.
9.  Always stand for what is Truth.  This especially applies when someone is gossiping or saying anything that would be considered inappropriate.  This always applies when someone is speaking against Truth.  Take a stand, no matter what, even if the other person is a friend and/or relative.
8.  Anytime someone gives you something, always say thank you.  This includes but is not limited to waiters, Sonic carhops, perfect strangers, and family members.
7.  If you need something, ask.  Always say please.
6.  People, especially your spouse, are not mind-readers.  Let go of all expectations.  Do not expect your loved ones to follow a certain script.  Inevitably, you will be disappointed.  And it's just plain UNFAIR to them.
5.  Hold the door for people.  Don't expect others to do the same for you.
4.  Get over yourself.  You may be cute.  You may be sweet.  But life just ain't about you.
3.  Be on time.  People who are habitually late are probably very selfish.  Nothing says, "Look at me, I am the most important person I know," more than when you are late to functions.
2.  When you commit to something, fulfill your obligation.  If people are counting on you, be there and do what you said you would do.  Do this even when it is inconvenient and/or unappealing.
1.  Jesus is everything!  You will never feel fulfilled in this life until you surrender your life to Christ.  Pray all of the time.  Read His Word everyday.  And worship Him without apology.  He is worth it ALL.

**Disclaimer:  Items 5, 7 and 8 are simple and insinuate common sense.  But folks, we have gotten away from doing them in our everyday lives.  Manners, people.  Please...practice your manners.

Now that you have read the list, you have no excuse.  I have no excuse (especially with my mother living right down the road from me).  Truth be told, we either need to get RIGHT or get slapped.  By getting slapped, I don't mean by someone else.  Life just has a way of doing that to us on its own, ya know?  What about you?  Got any words of wisdom you could pass along to us?
Linds

Jesus said in John 16:33, "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace.  In this world you will have trouble.  But take heart!  I have overcome the world."

Oh, have I offended you? Good!

God's timing is always perfect.  Cliche, yes, I know.  But so incredibly true.  This verse could not have stumbled across the pages of my Bible at a more perfect time.  Second Corinthians 12:10 says, "That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties.  For when I am weak, then I am strong."

I believe the Lord allows us to go through circumstances in life for a very specific reason.  Often, for me, I don't realize the purpose of the circumstances until they have passed.  I would assume this is the case for most people.  Lately, that very thing has happened.  I found myself being consumed with worry about a particular situation in my life that quite honestly, feels very hopeless.  You know what I mean?  It feels as if the situation is not ever going to resolve itself, is never going to get better, and the people involved in the situation are never going to change.  Make sense?  Welcome to my world.  As a result of my involvement in this particular situation, I have made myself susceptible to heated conversations where I have been heavily criticized and judged.  I have had to defend my husband after him being blamed and attacked for no reason whatsoever.  I have also found myself having to defend myself on issues that haven't and may never make sense to the other parties involved.  And the thing that has been the most painful has been my having to defend my faith, my Lord, my Redeemer.  CAN ANYBODY OUT THERE RELATE?

After talking this out with my husband the other day, the Lord ever-so strategically brought me to the verse mentioned above.  I know when we follow the Lord and live our lives according to His will, He blesses us immensely.  But I also realize that when we follow the Lord and live our lives according to His will, we will, because of our faith, face persecution.  It comes with the package.  It's part of the deal.  And shouldn't we embrace the difficulties, the insults, the hardships?  It only means we're right where we belong.  This serves true even when those who are closest to us hurt us, as well.

It is my prayer that I will NEVER act outside of God's will for my life.  And I hope that everything I say, do and think will first pass through the filter of God's voice in my life.  I want, with desperation, for His Holy Spirit to reside in my heart.  For I believe that living a life consumed with Christ will bring blessings, peace, pain and difficulties.  That is what a life of faith looks like.

So, if you think I am over the top with this Jesus stuff, good.  If I offend you with all this Bible talk and God this and that, well good.  Hallelujah!  If me making decisions based on the plan He has for my life bothers you, insults you, or annoys you, sorry.  Respectfully I say to you, get over it.  He makes the calls in my life and living a life centered around Him is how I choose to roll.  That is all I truly want.  Don't you?

So when the insults come, bless God.  When the hardships happen, bless God.  When the persecutions shoot at you like flaming arrows, bless God.  When you feel your weakest, bless God.  For when you are weak, then YOU ARE MADE STRONG.  For His power is made perfect in weakness.
Linds