RESOLUTION

What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear the word RESOLUTION? Making better choices than those from the year prior? Dieting, exercising, trading bad habits for good habits, etc.

A resolution is a decision or determination; firmness of purpose. 
Synonyms; resolve, perseverance, tenacity; strength, fortitude.

Many of us try changing our behaviors in hopes of changing our lives. But unfortunately, what happens in a lot of cases, is that those resolutions just become wishful thinking. We really DO want to change but the time and effort that go into making those changes lose the luster after the first few weeks.

Ephesians 4:22-24  You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

Since we were created in the image of God, we have the power to resolve that we can live a life that reflects His nature.

So, make the resolution (or determination) that your life will reflect His love to everyone you know.

Philippians 4:13 I can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens me.

Be blessed,
Dawn

Your are accepted

   Ephesians 1:3-6

(NIV) Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For He chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight. In love, He predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with His pleasure and will— to the praise of His glorious grace, which He has freely given us in the One He loves.

(MSG) How blessed is God! And what a blessing He is! He’s the Father of our Master, Jesus Christ, and takes us to the high places of blessing in Him. Long before He laid down earth’s foundations, He had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of his love, to be made whole and holy by His love. Long, long ago He decided to adopt us into His family through Jesus Christ. (What pleasure He took in planning this!) He wanted us to enter the celebration of His lavish gift-giving by the hand of His beloved Son.

Feeling accepted is extremely empowering and liberating. Without fail, it will open the flow of joy in your life.  

God tells us that we are accepted as His children so we must choose to believe it and take Him at His word. He doesn't place conditions on us. He knows our faults, failures, attitudes, etc., but He still loves us and calls us His own.

For us to feel accepted by God, we must take our focus off things that have happened to us in the past.  Ask God to show you how to let go of the grip that you have on past hurts and disappointments. When we let go, it frees something inside us. It is then when we can begin to feel the acceptance from Him that has been there all along. 

This reminds me of The Prayer of Serenity which says, "God, grant me the serenity (peace) to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference." 

1 Peter 2:9

But you are the ones chosen by God, chosen for the high calling of priestly work, chosen to be a holy people, God’s instruments to do his work and speak out for him, to tell others of the night-and-day difference He has made in you. 

From a nobody to somebody, from broken to beautiful, from rejected to accepted, from abandoned to belonging. You are His!


Be blessed,
Dawn

Mercy and Grace

Mercy and Grace - we are very familiar with these words but have you ever stopped to think about what each word really means? Recently, I found myself thinking about it, and there are two meanings that I would like to expound on now. 

Mercy is about forgiveness

One definition of mercy is compassion or forbearance shown especially to an offender or to one subject to one's power;  a blessing that is an act of divine favor or compassion.

The Latin word refers to benevolence, forgiveness, and kindness in a variety of ethical, religious, social and legal contexts.

In the social and legal context, mercy may refer to compassionate behavior on the part of those in power (e.g. mercy shown by a judge).

In Ephesians 2:4, Paul refers to the mercy of God in terms of salvation: "God, being rich in mercy,... even when we were dead through our sins, made us alive together with Christ."

1 Peter 2:9-10 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

Praise God! His mercies are new every morning. He is always quick to forgive us when we repent.  

Grace is about acceptance

One definition of grace is, unmerited divine assistance given humans for their regeneration or sanctification; a state of sanctification enjoyed through divine grace.

Ephesians 2:8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith, and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works so that no one can boast. 

Romans 5:2 Through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God.

Grace is a gift that God has freely given to us. When we accept Him as Savior, He accepts us as His children. That acceptance just overwhelms me at times. I have to remember that it is not because of anything I've done, but because of everything Jesus did. God's love for us goes beyond all the wrong choices we have made; His sacrifice of His Son was the ultimate gift to you and to me.

If you have not yet accepted God's gift of salvation, you can stop where you are now and ask Him to be Lord of your life. He accepts you just the way you are. 


Be blessed,
Dawn

Mission Possible

Are we more focused on the mission than on the mission field?

Matthew 28:16-20, Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 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.”

What is our mission? Our mission is to reach out to a lost and dying world with the good news of the Gospel of Christ.

When you hear the words mission field what is the first thing that comes to mind? Most would agree that a desolate place in a foreign country would be the first thing. Well, what about your next door neighbor? Or perhaps, a family member or co-worker who doesn't know the Lord? Do you see them as mission fields? 

We know that people need Jesus and His forgiveness, we know that people need a touch from Him, and we know people need to surrender their lives to Him; but between what we know to do and what we do, there is a great chasm. In order to make a difference in the kingdom, we have to work in the fields. 

Here are words to a song that I remember from years ago and I have never forgotten them. How powerful they are! 

See the fields so dry and thirsty

They're dying from the lack of rain

And here I'm standing in the fountain

Watching them perish and who's to blame?

How can they hear without a preacher?

If they're not shown how can they see?

I'm gonna go out where they're hurting

and stop expecting them to come to me.

(chorus)

I'm gonna carry the water to the desert

Stop this hauling water to the sea.
I'm gonna seek out the dry and barren places
The sick ones need the doctor

I'm gonna stop this hauling water to the sea.

Ask God how you can become a better missionary in your everyday world. He wants to use you where you are to share the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Be blessed,

Dawn

Heart Trouble

First, let me say, that this is hard to share with you.  It has always been a struggle for me to "just lay it all out there." It is very hard for me to share not only my feelings but even my opinions in some settings. 

So here goes...

Luke 6:45 A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. 

This writing is directly from my heart -- the good, the bad and the ugly. For years, I have carried a lot of baggage that has kept me from walking in complete obedience to the Lord and using the gifts He has placed inside of me. 

Quite honestly, I have not only held onto the baggage but have embraced it; sometimes wearing it as a badge of honor. I know that sounds crazy but when you give more thought to what has happened to you in your past, it doesn't allow much room for God. He is always there but it's up to each of us to lay down our rights at the foot of the cross.

By rights, I mean thoughts that our actions or emotions are justified because of past, hurts, failures, disappointments, etc. All of those "he did this to me" or "she did that to me" statements become bigger and bigger until they fill up space in our hearts that God created for Himself. 

I don't know about you, but I don't want to be controlled by my emotions any longer. By dwelling on them, I've allowed satan to keep me from doing what God has called me to do. One of which, is to be an encourager. That is why you haven't seen a new blog post in quite a while. 

I just finished a book by Anne Graham Lotz entitled: "Wounded by God's People". When I got to the last few pages, the following paragraph gripped my heart and I have read it over and over again in the past several days. 

She writes: "Although you may not be in exile physically - you may still be going to church, attending Bible studies, involved in religious activities —could it be that your spirit is nonetheless in exile because you are stuck in the quicksand of past wounds? Is there a cold vacancy where there used to be a warm vibrancy of love for the things and people of God? Is there a root of bitterness that is strangling your spirit on the inside, threatening to choke off the future God has in store for you?" 

Wow!  It was then I realized, that I have given more thought to my hurts and trying to justify them than to the One who wants to heal those hurts. 

2 Corinthians 10:5 We demolish arguments (even between my flesh and my spirit) and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

So, brothers and sisters, I'm taking back what the enemy has stolen from me!

Consider This

​Philippians 3:13 Brothers and sisters, I don’t consider that I have taken hold of it yet. But here is the one thing I do. I forget what is behind me. I push hard toward what is ahead of me.

Isaiah 43:18 “Do not remember the former things, nor consider the things of old.

So, what does consider mean?

verb (used with object)

1. to think carefully about: Do I consider myself to be a failure?
2. to reflect on: Do I consider my past mistakes to determine my future successes?
3. to regard as or deem to be: Do I consider myself to be unlovable?
4. to think, believe, or suppose: Do I consider that others think I am unlovable?
5. to bear in mind; make allowance for: Is my present situation because of my past mistakes?
6.  to pay attention to; regard: I will consider (believe) that my personal relationship with Jesus will enable me to live victoriously.  

Don't be convinced by people or even yourself, that you are paying for your mistakes - whatever they may be. When you ask Jesus to come into your life and change you, He will do just that! His love for you is without limits and is not based on anything you did or didn’t do. 

Here’s an exercise: write down 3 things that you feel are keeping you pulled down. 

Go ahead, I'm waiting...

Now, write down 3 things that God has brought you out of. 

Keep this list with you so that you will be reminded to pray for the struggles and praise for the victories.

Prayer: Father, may we always be thankful for the blessings that you have given us. I pray that you will help each of us to lay aside the things that have been holding us back, like unforgiveness, anger, hatred, bitterness toward someone, hurts, disappointments... We acknowledge you as Lord over every part of us. May your presence become so real and so strong to us, that we can't focus on the past but only anticipate what you have for us in the future. 

We give everything we have to you. 

In the Mighty name of Jesus!

Amen

Change - Part 6, Almost Home

It's official, we turned in our "move-out" notice and we are ecstatic! April 30th is the big day. All the necessary decisions have been made that need to be made. I'm pretty sure that our contractor is through with the questions. At least, I hope so.

As you know from my previous posts, it has been an overwhelming process for me. This life event has been, well, a learning curve. Here is what I have learned because of the fire:

  1) Don't hang on to stuff you don't need. That "one- day-I-might-need-it" day, almost never comes!

  2) Be prepared to share that little bit of information that we don't really want to announce like, what size clothes you wear, especially if that last 10 lbs. is still hanging on.

On a more serious note:

  1) Don't take anything you have, for granted. Even the small things become big when you realize you don't have them anymore.

  2) Don't waste time thinking about what you will grab should your house catch on fire while you are home. (ok, maybe a pair of shoes, if you're not wearing any.) In actuality, "things" never crossed my mind.

3) Don't push people away who want to help you. God gave each of us a need to feel needed. That was a hard one for me. I want to be the giver, not the receiver.

4) Don't question God as to why. He will show you in His time. One day, we will understand. Just trust that He is in control and will bring you through your battle when you lean on Him.

Even though things will look different than before, I still can't wait for the familiarity and comfort of Home Sweet Home!

God is good, all the time!


Be blessed,
Dawn

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

Change - Part 3, Transition

Transition

After the fire had been extinguished and the crowd cleared, we went to a hotel. For ten days, we had to wait until our insurance company found a place for us to live while our house is being rebuilt. The room was a suite which was nice and big. In a matter of a day or two, much of that spacious room was filled with some things we were able to salvage from the house, as well as things that people were so gracious to give to us. We were truly overwhelmed by the generosity of people we know, and many that we have never even met.

After the first night, the reality of being "homeless" really hit me. I could not control my emotions at all. The feeling of being displaced had overtaken me. Bill and Christopher were holding up so well! Why was I falling apart? I have never experienced the sadness that had reared its ugly head. I could hardly speak to anyone without crying, including the hotel staff.

After just a few days, we got a call from our insurance company letting us know they had found an apartment for us. So, we drove over and looked at some different units in the complex, and then made our choice. We had to wait a few more days for furniture and household items to be delivered from the rental company. They supplied everything from furniture right down to a toilet brush.

Even though the apartment is just a few miles from our home, we feel like we are in a foreign land.  Things are the same outside of the apartment complex but inside these four walls, is just not home.

Isaiah 43:19
Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert. 

Be blessed,
Dawn

Change, Christmas Eve

Well, today has been a difficult one for me. The tears started not long after I got out of bed. Some were from feeling overly blessed by all that has been given to us, and some were over the fact that the fire took away the comfort and familiarity of celebrating Christmas in my home.

My feelings of displacement today are probably based on the fact that I am not able to do the usual things I do on Christmas Eve like prepare the traditional foods for our meal for tomorrow. The recipe book that I had put together with family recipes was destroyed in the fire. I do remember some of them, but the thought of not having my binder any longer was a reminder of what I have lost.

Another difficult moment was while I was out doing some last minute shopping. As I watched people, I could not help but think about how their family traditions will carry on tomorrow and that mine wouldn't. While most seemed to be in a hurry to finalize their shopping, I was in no hurry at all. I had no need to rush back home and start on, well... anything.

Please don't get me wrong. I am extremely grateful for what I still have, my family, being the greatest, but the thoughts of what I have lost are winning today.


Despite it all, God is good!


Be blessed,
Dawn