Come

Matthew 14:28-30 " Lord, if it is you," Peter replied, "tell me to come to you on the water."  "Come, he said." Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But, when he saw the wind, he was afraid and beginning to sink, he cried out loud, "Lord, save me!"

There are a few things we can learn from this passage and I would like to break them down and share my thoughts on them. 

1) Obedience -  Then Peter got down out of the boat... Peter, first, had to obey the word of Jesus. He did not step out onto the water without calling out to Jesus first. He knew if he stepped out on his own, he would have drowned.  

2) Faith -  ...and he walked on the water... Peter acted in complete faith that Jesus had the power to hold him up. He did not let the fact that the water was raging, and he could have easily been pulled under by the currents, keep him in the boat.

3) Distraction - But when Peter saw the wind... For Peter to see the wind, he had to take his eyes off of Jesus. He, instead, focused on the fact that he could have drowned. 

4) Emotions - ...he was afraid... Peter let the fear of drowning override his faith in the One who was reaching out to him. 

5) Rescue - he cried out, "Lord, save me!" Even though he was sinking, Peter did not let his lack of faith keep him from calling on the name of Jesus. 

So often, we let fear keep us from proceeding with what God is telling us to do. We tend to live in the what-ifs more often than we should. What if it's just me and not the voice of God? What if I step out to (fill in the blank) and no one responds? What if people try to pull me down?

What if? What if? What if? The what ifs are ok but we just can't stay there. When we let them take control, then we will miss out on what God has for us. There are blessings in obedience.

In order to increase our faith, we must spend time in God's Word. Romans 10:17 says, Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.  Our faith increases as we spend time with the Lord. God wants us to be in relationship with Him on a continual basis. It is easy to praise Him when things are good, but when things are not so good, we can lose our faith if our eyes are not fastened on Him. 

So, when you feel yourself sinking, just call on the name of the Lord. He will always be there for you. He simply says, "Come."

Be blessed,
Dawn

     

     

Medicate on the Word

Let me preface this by saying that this post is NOT about taking- or not taking- medication. I am dependent on a daily dose myself. This is intended to encourage you and to show you that God's Word is alive and powerful! 

Proverbs 4:20-22

My son, pay attention to what I say; turn your ear to my words. 

Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart; 
for they are life to those who find them and health to one’s whole body.

Yes, you read that right! I said MEDICATE.  You have probably read the scripture in Psalm that says, "I will meditate on the Word day and night."   There are so many scriptures in God's Word that pertain to what each of us goes through from time to time and it is up to us to search them out and apply them to our everyday lives.

I will be listing a few of them here as we go along. You may want to jot these down and keep them handy. Index cards are great to use because you can keep them with you or post them around the house, in the car, etc.

A lot of times, we get discouraged because we don't know how to pray about things. The problem lies in the fact that we can allow ourselves to become intimidated, or even believe, that our prayers will not change anything. The best way to pray effectively is to pray scripture. Yes, we read them but when we speak them out loud, they become more powerful.

Proverbs 18:21 says death and life are in the power of the tongue..., so, as believers, we need to pray the Word of God. Speak life over every area of your life. God wants us to walk in victory, not defeat. Don't let the enemy keep you in despair. 

Here are some scriptures to remember when you are feeling:

Overwhelmed - 1 John 5:5 Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.

Sick/ill -  1 Peter 2:24, ...by His wounds, I have been healed.

Hopeless/depressed - Psalm 42:5 Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.

Fearful - 2 Timothy 1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. 

Anxious - Phil. 4:6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

                                                                                                        ...plus many more.

Whatever you are struggling through, you can find a scripture that you can pray to help you. Use the concordance in your Bible, or you can use search engines online. You can also ask others to share a favorite scripture with you. Then speak or pray them out loud. 

Romans 10:17, So then, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message comes through preaching Christ. (GNT)

So increase your faith by praying the Word and preaching to yourself!


Be blessed,
Dawn

Between the Ash Heaps

Today was rather surreal. I was honored with the task of transporting the ashes of a very dear friend back to his home. What his wife and I both thought was a just a trip to pick up copies of the death certificate, turned out to be a final transport home. Neither of us had prepared ourselves for that. 

Last week, Mr. William Lucas passed away at the age of 75. He had not been feeling well for quite some time. Since his wife doesn't drive, she called a friend and asked her to take him to the ER. Once there, his condition quickly took a change for the worse. By that evening, he had become unresponsive and was put on life support. What they found was that he had an infection in his heart. The doctor told his wife he had probably had it for a while but just didn't know it. Less than 48 hours later, he was gone.   

He and his wife have become very dear to me. He loved to write poems about everything and was quick to quote them to anyone who would listen. How he remembered all of them, I don't know. A lot of them were limericks that he would think up on a whim.

Genesis 2:7

Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.

Genesis 3:19

By the sweat of your brow, you will eat your food until you return to the ground since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust, you will return.”

So, what do we do between the ash heaps? From the moment we all were even thought about, God had a plan in place. His divine plan for each of us is that we would love and serve Him all of our days. 

We should live our lives in such a way that honors God and His design. He has given us a great commission in Matthew 28:19-20;

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father

and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Be blessed,
Dawn

Change - Part 5, Moving right along

Last week my husband and I met with the lead contractor who will be rebuilding our home.

We met with him at Home Depot. Thankfully, they already have new patio furniture out to sell because that is where we brainstormed - right inside the front entrance, sitting at a patio table. Fortunately, no one was interested in looking at patio furniture since it was below freezing with snow on the way.

So, we opened our trusty binders and started spreading them out on the table. The contractor’s contained the insurance quotes and estimates for each and every item in the house, right down to a bag of Easter grass they found tucked away in a closet. (Can you believe, they gave us $.31 for that??)  My "New House Ideas" binder; full of paint samples, color schemes and such, all divided by room. (Don't be too impressed. I'm so wishy-washy that I can't seem to narrow ANYTHING down.)

After we had discussed everything and narrowed down some options, it was time to do some shopping! We walked through the store, picking out doors, windows, and a few other things.

A few days later, we went furniture shopping. We bought a bedroom suite, living room furniture, and a dining room set all on the same day, AND stayed on budget! Whew! The stores where we bought them are even going to hold it all for us until we are ready for it. We were prepared to rent a storage unit but, praise God, that is one expense we didn't have to incur.

As we continue on our journey of Change, we are constantly reminded of God's love toward us. He is using this life-changing event to draw our family closer to Him and also to bring us closer to people we are surrounded by from week to week. Our prayer through all of this is that our Heavenly Father will be glorified and that we can be an encouragement to others who are faced with struggles that just seem too great to overcome.

Philippians 1:27 Whatever happens, conduct yourself in a manner worthy of the Gospel of Christ.

Be blessed,

Dawn

Change - Part 4, Our old things will become new

Today, Bill and I met with the contractor and several other men who will be involved in the rebuilding of our home. I was shocked to see how many men got out of the three trucks that pulled in behind us. I was prepared to meet with just the lead contractor to get the ball rolling, so to speak. I had no idea that they would all be there at once; the electrician, the insulation guys, the cabinet maker, and one or two others. (I'm not too sure of their roles in it all.)

Bill spent most of the time talking to all but one, the cabinet maker. He and I stood in the kitchen area for about an hour, discussing all the options we have. While Bill and I had in our minds what we wanted, Mr. Cabinet man starts giving me all of these suggestions! And they were good! Now, what do we do? I decided to ask the rest of the guys their opinions (including Bill's) and they all agreed with Mr. Cabinet man.

Although I do love the ideas, I'm still a little afraid that it will be the wrong decision. I'm not a visionary when it comes to decorating. I have a hard time "seeing" the end result. Maybe I'm just too afraid of the commitment that it will be, especially in the kitchen. A new coat of paint that turns out to be hideous is an easy fix, but replacing kitchen cabinets is not!

Fortunately for me, he is going to show us a 3-D rendering of all the options we discussed so I will be able to SEE it. I can't wait. I know I am going to love it. Whatever IT is.

I am grateful for all the experts who know what they are doing. If they depended on me to tell them what to do and how to do it, then nothing would get done.

So, to tie it all together, Jesus is our expert. He has written it all out for us. Even the end result is very clear in His Word. When we seek His face and then wait for Him to answer, He will. The only thing that limits God is our unbelief of what He says. Jeremiah 33:3 tells us to call on Him and He will show us great and mighty things.

Don't let fear take over in your life. If you do, it will paralyze you and will keep you from becoming all who our Heavenly Father desires you to become. Listen to Him and follow His commands, and I promise, the end result will be better than you could have imagined.


Be blessed,
Dawn

Victim Mentality

  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. Jeremiah 29:11

Were you a victim in the past or are you a victim of the past?

During our lifetime, we face many experiences that are life-altering. We have good times and bad times; times of great sorrow, and times of great joy. When we think about the good times, they usually put a smile on our faces, and then we continue with day to day life.

However, when we think about the bad experiences, we tend to dwell on them longer. We rehearse the events as we remember every little detail about what happened. This can often cause us to question ourselves as to how or why that happened to us. Why did I have to go through that? 

God wants us to let go of the past. Is that saying we should forget the struggles or trials that we've been through? No, but we should not live there anymore. We have to learn how to let go of what is holding us back so that we can move forward with the plan that God has for us. 

You have to change how you think about what you have been through. Don't let it consume you so much that you can't see yourself in the light of who God says you are. You are a child of the One True King!

Your yesterdays do not have to determine your tomorrows. God wants to heal your hurts, calm your fears and set you free from what has held you down for so long.

So, what now? Change your focus. Purpose in your heart that you are no longer a victim of the past but you are a victor in the present. God wants you to live victoriously!


Be blessed,
Dawn