Oct 22 2011

Allow His Love To Embrace You

Recently a very special woman of God and dear friend sent me a sweet little card. It was just a note to remind me of how much I am loved by her and by our God. It is not uncommon of her to send me little words of encouragement from time to time. She has faithfully sent them to me for some 15 years now. It never ceases to amaze me that when she sends them they are always right on time with a word that I need to hear for a situation that I am facing at that time.

I know it is our Heavenly Father that put it on her heart to send me this little love note because it came on a day that I would totally miss the mark. I mean I messed up big time. That’s right I’m am one of those imperfect Christians. I am fully aware that as long as I’m here in this world living in this flesh of mine that I will fall short. I know that I can become a slave to whatever I choose to obey, sin or God. So when I fall short I try to quickly confess my shortcomings to God, repent, and then I try to receive His forgiveness. However often times first I go through an awful battle with a spirit of condemnation, guilt, and shame that attacks my mind. That’s where I was at when I felt led to reread her note. Part of my dear friend’s note read:

God bless you my Lisa and always keep you safe, full of peace and joy!
Romans 8:35-39

The Holy Spirit knew that I would feel down on myself that evening for my shortcomings. My peace and joy were gone. He knew condemnation would try to fling its nasty accusations and put downs at me. He did not want me to sit in a pile of ‘woe is me’ dung. He made sure that card made it to me right on time. He wanted me to know that NO MATTER WHAT my Heavenly Father loves me. He wanted me to know that He saw and He knew what I would do, but that Jesus is on my side sticking up for me. He loves me regardless of my shortcomings. He believes in me no matter what others have to say. No matter what I do, or don’t do, nothing I can ever face in this world will EVER separate me from the love of God, NOTHING.

So He had her send this note to me with Romans 8:35-39 written in it knowing that I would search out His Word. I read it and I have been so encouraged in my heart ever since by these verses that I have read plenty of times. This time though I felt led to read them out of the Message Bible. I would like to share these verse with you now:

So, what do you think? With God on our side like this, how can we lose? If God didn’t hesitate to put everything on the line for us, embracing our condition and exposing himself to the worst by sending his own Son, is there anything else he wouldn’t gladly and freely do for us? And who would dare tangle with God by messing with one of God’s chosen? Who would dare even to point a finger? The One who died for us—who was raised to life for us!—is in the presence of God at this very moment sticking up for us. Do you think anyone is going to be able to drive a wedge between us and Christ’s love for us? There is no way! Not trouble, not hard times, not hatred, not hunger, not homelessness, not bullying threats, not backstabbing, not even the worst sins listed in Scripture:
They kill us in cold blood because they hate you.
We’re sitting ducks; they pick us off one by one.
None of this fazes us because Jesus loves us. I’m absolutely convinced that nothing—nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable or unthinkable—absolutely nothing can get between us and God’s love because of the way that Jesus our Master has embraced us. – Romans 8:35-39 – The Message (MSG) -emphasis mine

Isn’t that just beautiful? He loves us!! He loves us NO MATTER WHAT! Thank you Jesus!

I want to encourage whoever is reading this to allow these verses to get down deep in your heart. I pray that the Holy Spirit would give us power to really understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep His is love is for us. May we experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to fully understand. Then we will be made complete with the fullness of life and power that comes from God. (Ephesians 3:18-19)

We need to remember that God is not some far away being. He is near to us. He cares about every detail of our lives. Even though we will face troubles in this world, that does not mean that He has abandoned us. He has given us His Spirit to help us get through and overcome in any situation, in any circumstance. No problem is too big for Him to solve. He has given us His Spirit to help us to forgive ourselves and others. Yes even our accusers, persecutors, or haters. The same power that raised Christ from the dead lives in us and helps us to love the unlovely, to share the same mercy and grace that we have been given, to continue to do good and believe even when we feel we just can’t any more. He helps us not to give up. It is His love that comforts us and gives us hope, confirmation, direction, and encouragement.

He is not mad at us. He hates to see us hurt. He hates to see us fall for the traps that the demonic spirits set for us. He hates to see us being led by our flesh, instead of by His Spirit because He wants to see us walk victoriously. He wants to see us live life abundantly, free from the bondage of our sin nature.

This card confirms to my heart that He loves us and does not give up on us even when we fall short. He does not give us the silent treatment or lose hope in us.

Let us open our eyes and allow even creation to testify to the love of God. Let us look at how He has blessed us today. Look at how we are still alive today because He still has a plan and a purpose for us here. He is NOT done with us yet. Mediate on His love and realize that His love is what has really set us free. We don’t have to sit in a pile of condemnation when we fall short. Let us instead be humbly sorry for our sins and run to His throne room for help and mercy. He will be faithful to give it to us. Then let us turn away from what is causing us to stumble. He will help us to overcome whatever it is that is trying to overtake us.

“The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.” – 1 Corinthians 10:13

Let’s choose to endure and let’s choose to let him continue the good work that He has started in us. He is not finished with us yet. His love will help us grow and change daily. Allow His love to embrace you.


Aug 4 2011

Remember All The Wonderful Things That God Has Already Done

Part 2 of Supernatural Perfect Peace In The Middle Of Life’s Storms

“O LORD my God, you have performed many wonders for us.
Your plans for us are too numerous to list.
You have no equal.
If I tried to recite all your wonderful deeds,
I would never come to the end of them.” – Psalm 40:5 – (NLT)

I believe another component to obtaining that perfect peace is to remember all the wonderful things that God has already done in our lives, in the lives around us, and of course we should remember the wonderful miracles and stories of deliverance in the bible.

When we allow ourselves to remember how faithful God is we will be encouraged in our hearts. Faith will rise up in us. We will begin to feel confident that our God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. We will have a knowing deep inside that He delivered us then and He will deliver us again. He brought us through then and He will bring us through again. He sustained us then and He will sustain us now. (Hebrews 13:8)

When we allow ourselves to mediate on the wonders and the miracles He has already done in and around our lives, we begin to find ourselves assured that He will get us through this situation also. We may not know how. We may not know when. But we are sure that He is faithful to His promise to never leave or forsake us! (Hebrews 13:5)

“He does great things too marvelous to understand. He performs countless miracles.” – Job 5:9 – (NLT)

Take some time out and really get in the Word. Read about these stories of deliverance. There are countless stories in His Word that will bless your heart and give you a revelation of the God we serve. Stories like:

• God’s faithful servant Daniel who was thrown in the lion’s den for worshipping God even when a decree was made that no one was to worship any other man or God except for the king for 30 days. The next morning after he was sentenced to the lion’s den the king who cared for Daniel goes out to check on him. He found that because Daniel had trusted in God, he was alive and did not have one scratch on him. God’s angel had closed the mouths of the lions. Daniel was removed from the lion’s den. His haters that tricked the king in to implementing that decree got thrown in to the den instead. (Daniel 6)

• Then there’s Daniel’s friends Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego who were thrown in a blazing furnace because they refused to bow down and worship a gold statue that the king had erected. The furnace was heated 7 times hotter than usual and they were thrown in bound, but they were not alone in there. There was a fourth person in there that the king said, ‘looks like a god’. The king called for them to come out of the fire. When they came out of that fire they were not burn, not even a hair on their head was singed, and their clothing didn’t even smell of smoke. (Daniel 2-3)

• One of my personal favorite stories is the story about Joseph being sold into slavery by his brothers. Even though he was in slavery God gave him favor no matter what situation came against him. He ended up in prison but then God lifted him out of prison and set him in a place of honor, second in command to the Pharaoh. He helped prepare the country for a terrible famine. His high position saved his family from that famine. God turned what his brothers meant for evil for good. (Genesis 37-50)

• What about Jesus raising His friend Lazarus from the dead after four days of being dead and in his tomb. Jesus revealed that He is the Resurrection and The Life. (John 11)

These are wonderful stories of deliverance! God is still in the business of delivering his people and giving them favor. He is still in the business of resurrecting dead situations. Just think back over your own life and allow the Holy Spirit to remind you of times where God did some wonderful miracle or act of deliverance. Don’t minimize it. Don’t justify it with rationalization. Allow those times to be exactly what they are; one of God’s countless miracles in your life.

“Give thanks to him who alone does mighty miracles. His faithful love endures forever.” – Psalm 136:4

“Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:18

Now give him thanks! Lift up your hands in worship and thank Him for everything He’s doing in your life, regardless if you understand it or not. Thank Him for being so faithful to take care for you. Don’t allow your emotions to rule you. Allow yourself to hope and believe. Fall in love with his faithfulness. Allow this confident hope in His faithfulness to fill your heart with that perfect peace that comes from believing His promises and trusting in Him. He will never fail you! (Psalm 134:2, Isaiah 55:8)


May 26 2011

To The Parents of the Prodigal Children

Earlier this month we celebrated Mother’s Day. Usually my Mother’s Day is full of love, peace, and joy. My husband and children go out of their way to make this day special for me. This past Mother’s Day however was full of sadness, hurt, and confusion as one of my teenagers chose that weekend to make some seriously selfish and dangerous choices. My husband and I spent this last Mother’s Day weekend crying and praying for our wayward child.

By the end of that weekend when things had settled down some I felt the Holy Spirit showing me that I wasn’t the only mom crying for her child this Mother’s Day. He reminded me of the other mother’s of prodigal children everywhere who’s situations are terribly worse than ours. This past Mother’s Day weekend the heavens were full of our prayers and tears.

I was filled with compassion and moved to write a word of encouragement to the praying parents of the prodigal children. I believe this is what the Holy Spirit is saying to us in this season:


“Don’t give up praying for your children. Don’t give up believing that God can and will find them where ever they are in whatever situation they are in. Keep believing that the seed of God’s Word that you have spoken into your child’s life will not return void. It will produce fruit and it will prosper, just continue to wait patiently. (Isaiah 55:11)

Hold fast to God’s promises that He has put on your heart. You know the words that He has spoken directly to your heart and shown you in His Word, hold on to them. They will prove true!

There will be times where you feel like throwing in the towel. Don’t give up because just at the right time you will reap your harvest of blessings IF you continue to do good and do not give up. (Galatians 6:9)

Beware of the words you speak. Your tongue will bring life or death to your situation so speak wisely. Don’t speak out loud words of defeat over your child’s circumstances. Speak words of life and power. Speak words of deliverance and restoration over your child’s life. (Proverbs 18:21)

During this season draw even closer to God and He will draw closer to you. He will sustain you in this battle. He will renew your strength when you feel weak and encourage your heart with His living Word.

Do not allow your heart to be hardened by the trials that you are facing with your children. If you allow your heart to be hardened and you allow bitterness to take root in your heart you will never enter God’s peace. His peace is what will protect your mind and heart as you think on His Word and promises, so do not harden your hearts to his voice. Allow Him to comfort, correct, and encourage you. (Hebrews 4, Philippians 4:8-9)

Stop blaming yourself. The tormenting condemnation that will come against you is not from the Holy Spirit. It is a tool of the enemy to keep you feeling bogged down with destructive emotions. Your child has free will and has allowed the enemy to deceive them. Pray for the veil to be removed from their eyes. Trust that at just the right time, God’s time, the Holy Spirit will open their eyes and ears to hear the Truth and they will be set free.

This is a season that you will have to walk by faith and not by sight more than ever. The more you pray and seek God, the more He will increase your faith.

Finally remember that this is a battle that needs to be waged in the spiritual so stay on your knees. Pray constantly. Praise and thank God in the middle of this storm. Your praise and worship will be the weapons that will tear down strongholds. “


Apr 21 2011

Soul Surfer- A True Story of Faith

A couple of weeks ago I finished reading the book Soul Surfer, A True Story of Faith, Family, and Fighting to Get Back on the Board by Bethany Hamilton. I also recently saw the motion picture Soul Surfer based on Bethany’s story. I personally liked the book better because it had more faith-filled and motivating quotes from Bethany. However both were very inspiring.

For those who have not heard the story of Bethany Hamilton, Bethany is a twenty-one year old pro-surfer. But she is no ordinary surfer. You see Bethany is a survivor of a shark attack. When she was thirteen years old she was out surfing with her best friend and a fourteen foot shark attacked her. The attack left Bethany with a severed arm. Bethany did not allow that shark to take away her dream of becoming a professional surfer. Less than a month after getting out of the hospital Bethany was back in the water determined to surf again.

As I read her book I was so moved by her faith and determination. She was only 13 years old and her confidence and hope in God was so strong. Her outlook on what has happened to her causes me to look at my own life and my problems and say to myself, “Lisa, God has a plan and a purpose for allowing all of this, keep trusting Him.”

I want to share some quotes with you from her book and I pray that they inspire, challenge, and encourage your heart.


Page 91: But for me, knowing that God loves me and that He has a plan for my life that no shark can take away is like having solid rock underneath me. Look, lots of bad stuff happens to people. That’s life. And here’s my advice: don’t put all your hope and faith into something that could suddenly and easily disappear. And honestly, that’s almost anything. The only thing that will never go away, that will never fail you, is your faith in God…

Page 92: But most of all, I have a relationship with Christ that keeps me strong and helps me see how good can come out of a bad situation. I think the reason I haven’t gotten all bummed out about losing an arm is due to God. I think that the reason I have been able to tell my story on TV and in magazines is because God wanted other people to know that He is the rock that you can build your life on…

Page 65: I’d like to meet as many as I can and share with them my story, maybe help them work through all the fear and self-doubt. I’ve experienced it all firsthand, and I’m living proof that there’s no such thing as a handicap-it’s only in your head…

Wow! Reading these exerts again sparks faith in my heart! What a blessing and inspiration this young woman has become to so many.

No matter what we will face in this world God is for us. He has a plan to use what the enemy means to destroy us and turn it around for our good and for His glory. God took this terrible tragedy that happened to Bethany and has made her a trophy of hope. She could have given up on her dream, but she chose to fight for her destiny. She allowed herself to be empowered by Christ to do all the things that He put on her heart to do. She is a living testimony of Philippians 4:13. “I have strength for all things in Christ Who empowers me [I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him Who infuses inner strength into me; I am self-sufficient in Christ's sufficiency].” – Amplified Bible

Bethany was able to overcome the attack because she kept her eyes on God. She trusted Him even though she could not understand why this happened to her. She didn’t blame God. She believed in Him. She trusted Him regardless of her circumstances. Let us remember that God is no respecter of persons, if He helped her overcome, He will help us also. All we need to do is keep believing.


Mar 29 2011

What God Has Joined Together, Let No Man Separate

I was just reading on USA Today Religion’s page an article that was talking about the divorce rate among Christians. It said that the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago, conducted a vast demographic study and found that Christians, like adherents of other religions, have a divorce rate of about 42%. They also claim that among religiously unaffiliated Americans the divorce rate is 50%. This is just so sad.

I have been with my husband now for 13 years this August. It is both of ours second marriage. We were both married young. We were not Christians and we lived very selfish, destructive lives that helped destroy our first marriages. Eight years ago my husband and I decided to stop playing house and get married. We agreed that if we were to make marriage vows again that it was till death do us part. We had seen what our children from our first marriages suffered and the thought of tearing apart another family was not acceptable.

So we have been determined to fight for our marriage. We have been determined to love each other through good and bad times. We have most certainly had some terrible times and we have had many more wonderful, beautiful, passionate good times. We are in a really good place right now. Thank you Jesus!

We know that we are together today because of our faith in Christ. He has been our strength. He has been our source of wisdom, forgiveness, patience, longsuffering, and perseverance. When we have wanted to give up we remember, and remind one another, that God joined us together for a reason. He has a plan and purpose for our marriage and our family. So we forgive each other for our mistakes and we make allowances for each other’s faults. We lift one another up and encourage each other to be better at being us. We have become best friends. Our marriage is not perfect but we have certainly come a long way.

I want to encourage anyone who maybe reading this who is going through many trials in their marriage and feels like giving up. Don’t give up on your marriage! No matter how long you have been praying for a change, don’t lose hope. You will see a breakthrough IF you keep praying and believing. At the darkest hours of my marriage this is the verse the Lord kept bringing up to my heart.

Galatians 6:9 “So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.”

I have been blessed to have mighty women of God who have given me godly counsel, corrected me, challenged me, spoken truth into my marriage and encouraged me when I felt overwhelmed. God used them and the examples they set in their marriages to help push me along in mine. Today I want to share with you wisdom that I have gained about marriage.

1) Seek GODLY counsel and encouragement from people who you know love the Lord, understand the covenant of marriage, and will speak life into your marriage. Don’t share your marital problems with friends or family who will talk bad about your spouse or your marriage. You may also want to consider getting counsel from a pastor or Christian counselor. (Proverbs 12:5, Proverbs 19:20)

2) Never stop praying. Pray alone. Pray with your spouse. Pray even when you’re mad, especially when you’re mad, cry out to God. Pour out your heart and then go to His Word and read and listen to what He is speaking to your heart. He WILL comfort you and give you hope. You just have to choose to receive it! (1 Peter 5:7, Psalm 55:22, Psalm 119:114,76,50)

3) Be willing to change. Seek God about how you can change and be a better spouse. Don’t focus so much on your spouse’s issues and what they aren’t doing right. Trust God to deal with them. It is not for us to do the Holy Spirit’s job.

4) Give grace, be merciful and quick to forgive. When you are unforgiving bitterness will take root in your heart. (Hebrews 12:15) You will become overwhelmed with resentment and it will corrupt your marriage. Let things go! Don’t throw past failures in your spouse’s face even if it just happened yesterday. Our Lord brought me to Colossians 3:12-14 to check my heart on the issue of forgiveness and mercy. It says, “Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony.

5) Study the Word of God. Look up scriptures on marriage, divorce, anger, forgiveness, mercy, grace, and love. As you read the Word of God your mind will be renewed on these issues and the Lord will help you to change and to do what is pleasing to Him in your marriage. You can also get books on marriage and love. Here are some good one’s that I know:

Five Love Languages by Dr.Gary Chapman

Love and Respect by Emerson Eggerichs

Healing A Broken Marriage by Deborah Ross. (If anyone wants a free copy I have 3 left to give. Just message me below)

There are many other good books out there. These are just 3 of my favorites.

6) Focus on the good. Don’t allow yourself to mediate on all of your spouse’s imperfections. Allow God to help you see your spouse’s strengths, giftings, and potential. (Philippians 4:8)

7) Enjoy one another. Go on date nights often. It’s important to spend quality time together talking, sharing each other’s dreams and visions. My husband and I incorporated this principle into our marriage about two years ago. It has really helped keep the sparks flying. (Song of Solomon 8:6-7)

8) Last but certainly NOT least, Make love! Be quick to have make up sex. Don’t allow a lot of time to go on without making love to your spouse. Making love helps to release stress and creates a stronger bond in the marriage. (1 Corinthians 7:5)

Enclosing I leave you with this word,

“What God has joined together, let no man separate!” – Mark 10:9


Mar 25 2011

Tell Those Who Mourn

“…tell those who mourn that the time of the LORD’s favor has come, and with it, the day of God’s anger against their enemies. To all who mourn in Israel, he will give a crown of beauty for ashes, a joyous blessing instead of mourning, festive praise instead of despair. In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks that the LORD has planted for his own glory.” – Isaiah 61: 3

My heart aches as I write this post. I just got news that a friend of the family lost her husband. He had fallen down a flight of stairs and hit his head. He went to sleep and never woke up again. He was in a coma for more than 9 days. He leaves behind his wife and three small children.

I can’t imagine the terrible anguish that she must be experiencing from losing the love of her life and the father of all her children. There must be a terrible hole in her heart. While I do not know the pain that this young mother is experiencing, I do know what it is to lose someone you love with all of your heart. I lost my mother when I was just sixteen years old. I was devastated and lost. My world was upside down. I did not know what would become of me. But God did!

Over the past almost two weeks, as I awaited the daily text updates on this young father’s progress, I have been mediating on suffering. I have been thinking about how people suffer so much in this fallen world and how we will all continue to experience suffering until the end of this world. There will continue to be famine, earthquakes, tsunamis, death, sickness, diseases, and sorrow for as long as we are here. Thank goodness for us believers that our God has a new heaven and new earth for us where there will be no more suffering. (Rev. 21:1, Is. 65:17) Our God will wipe every tear from our eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things will be gone FOREVER!! Thank you Jesus! I can’t wait!! (Rev. 21:4)

Until then we must encourage one another and NOT LOSE HOPE. We must remember that our Lord is still in control no matter what we or anyone else we know is facing. He was in control when Joseph was sold into slavery by his jealous brothers. He was in control when the Hebrew girl Hadassah, better known as Queen Esther, was taken without a choice to the king’s harem. He was in control when three Hebrew boys were thrown into a furnace alive. He was in control when Lazarus died. He was in control when my mother died. He was in control when our innocent Savior Jesus died a brutal death for all of our sins.

We may not always understand why He allows certain bad things to happen in our lives, but our God can certainly take situations that seem like that are meant to destroy us and turn it for our good. (Gen. 50:20) Let us not allow the suffering that we will experience to harden our hearts against our God. He has not left or forsaken us in this world. He warned us that we would have many sorrows and troubles in this world. But He also reminds us that He HAS OVERCOME THE WORLD. (John 16:33) In our times of utter distress let us cry out to God and confess our brokenness. Let us cry out for His strength. Let us confess just as Paul did,

“ I have strength for all things in Christ Who empowers me [I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him Who infuses inner strength into me; I am self-sufficient in Christ's sufficiency].” ( Phil. 4:13 Amplified Bible)

It will be by His strength and His Spirit, not by our own might that we will overcome the traumatic trials that we will face here on this earth. We are not alone! His Spirit comforts us in all of our troubles. Then one day when someone else is going through troubles, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us. (2 Corinthians 1:4)

In our times of sorrow and despair we must hold on with eager hope to the promises, that one day, in glorious freedom we will be redeemed from death and decay. Let us be encouraged knowing that what we suffer now is NOTHING COMPARED TO THE GLORY He will reveal to us later. (Romans 8:18-22)

Please pray for this sister, her children and her family.


Jan 4 2011

We Will Face Persecution

About a year after I decided to get off the proverbial fence and truly surrender all of my heart, my plans, my will, my entire life to Christ Jesus I began experiencing persecution in my life and ministry. I had never really experienced persecution for my faith, until I decided to live a more consecrated life and start walking in my calling. The Holy Spirit reminded me and led me to Matthew 5:10-12,

10 God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.

11 “God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are my followers. 12 Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted in the same way.
After reading this I was prompted to write in the margin of my bible, “Be encouraged Lisa, it’s just the beginning.”

It’s the beginning of a new year and He has brought me right back to this subjection of persecution by bringing me to 2 Timothy 3:12 which says,

“Yes, and everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution”.

Definition of persecution – The act or practice of persecuting on the basis of race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or beliefs that differ from those of the persecutor.

Definition of persecute – 1. To oppress, harass, or maltreat, esp. because of race, religion, etc.
2. To bother persistently

It has become quite clear to me that when we decide to go against the flow of the world and take a stand for Truth and live by the Word of God we are going to face opposition. Persecution is going to play an integral part in any devoted Christian’s life. The enemy is angry at us because he knows that a godly Christian’s life is a threat to his deceptive demonic activity. A godly life is a testimony of God’s grace, mercy, and power working through us as a witness to others. So he has to come against us. He will use hard hearted, unrepented people in our lives who feel convicted by our witness. We will be talked about and lied on. People will call us names, mistreat us and look for ways to discredit us, but we must not lose heart. We must stay focused and keep doing what we know is right. We must not become angry or bitter, but willingly forgive and pray for our persecutors. (Matthew 5:44, Romans 12:14)

Persecution may tempt us to second guess what we know that the Holy Spirit has taught us, but we must not be discouraged. We must take courage, be confident, certain and undaunted in what our Lord has taught us and walk in it. We cannot live to please people and God. As Christ’s servants living to please God must be our goal. (1 Peter 3:14, Galatians 1:10)

As we go through this New Year determined to fulfill the vision that the Lord has given us we will face persecution, but let us remember that we are more than conquerors in Christ Jesus. We have strength for all things in Christ who empowers us. We are ready for anything and equal to anything through Him who infuses inner strength into us. He has already overcome the world for us and deprived it of its power to conquer us. So let us boldly walk in Christ and work towards the vision that the Holy Spirit has put on our hearts without fear of persecution. (Philippians 4:13, John 16:33,)

Enclosing I leave you with Isaiah 54:17,

“But in that coming day no weapon formed against you will succeed. You will silence every voice raised up to accuse you. These benefits are enjoyed by the servants of the Lord; their vindication will come from Me. I. the Lord, have spoken!”


Oct 13 2010

Get A Grip! Keep Believing!

I don’t know about you, but my life is NOT perfect. I have problems, trials, and testing’s daily. It’s only by God’s grace and mercy that I have the strength to overcome life’s adversities. I have moments where my faith and hope is so big that I immediately remember who I am in Christ and I stand on the Truth of God’s Word. Its during these times that I can instantly resist fear, doubt, anxiety and all the other spiritual forces and emotions that will attack my mind. However there are those other times (which are not often, but they do happen) when I feel tired and worn out. I start looking at my circumstances and over evaluating them, instead of remembering what the Lord has already spoken to me about the situation. That is when I begin to feel despair, anger, bitterness, depression, doubt, and sadly even hatred. God forgive me. I’m sharing this with you because I KNOW that I am NOT the only who has gone through this or is going through this now.

Sometimes we have been praying and hoping for years for a breakthrough in a situation or in the life of a loved one. Since we haven’t seen the full manifestation we may begin to feel a little faithless or hopeless. We may even find that we are allowing our hearts to be hardened over the situation which will only lead to unbelief and it will begin to push us away from God.

IT’S TIME TO GET A GRIP!!

We are NEVER EVER going to experience God’s peace and rest over our situations and in our lives if we stay in unbelief. It’s time to take a step back and reflect on all of the breakthroughs that we have already had. It’s time to remember His promises and BELIEVE AGAIN! The enemy wants us to think that our Lord has forgotten us and that His Word will not be fulfilled in our lives and in the lives of those we love. He wants us to give up, to stop believing, stop praying, and stop seeking out God’s Word.

Recently when I was on some straight ‘woe is me’ crap I cried out to God and said please help me. I don’t like to sit very long in that overwhelming feeling of hopelessness because I KNOW IT’S A TRAP! It’s a trap to pull me away from the truth of God’s Word. If we allow ourselves to be overwhelmed with feelings of hopelessness we will find ourselves depressed thinking God won’t come through on His promises and that things will never change. But the truth is if He said it then it is already done, we just need to believe it NO MATTER WHAT!

So that day I sat on my front porch and allowed His Word to minister to my broken heart and spirit. I felt led to sit in Hebrews chapter 3. Verses 3:12-14 spoke to me.

“Be careful then, dear brothers and sisters. Make sure that your own hearts are not evil and unbelieving, turning you away from the living God. 13 You must warn each other every day, while it is still “today,” so that none of you will be deceived by sin and hardened against God. 14 For if we are faithful to the end, trusting God just as firmly as when we first believed, we will share in all that belongs to Christ. “Hebrews 3:12-14

I felt like our Lord was saying to me, “Lisa, beware of hardening your heart. Keep believing. Trust me. Remember all that I have already done in your life and in the lives of your family. Don’t be like the children of Israel that hardened their hearts against Me, even after all the miracles they saw Me do.”

The children of Israel saw God manifested in their lives through many miracles. They saw Him part the sea. They ate bread that He rained down from heaven to feed them in the wilderness. He gave them water from a rock when there wasn’t water to be found anywhere else. He led them through the wilderness with a cloud of fire by night and cloud by day. They saw awesome miracles and they still hardened their hearts, tested and tried God’s patience. They refused to do what He told them. They complained and refused to believe in Him. The result was that the unbelieving generation died in the wilderness. They died in their own wilderness of unbelief, doubt, bitterness, and complaining. They never entered His rest. (Hebrews 3:7-19)

Twice in chapter 3 of Hebrews and once in chapter 4 it says,

“Today when you hear His voice, don’t harden your hearts…” (Heb. 3:7, 15; 4:7)

Life isn’t going to be peaches and cream all the time. We are going to have hard times. We are going to feel weak and tired some times, but we CAN NOT GIVE UP! We need to choose to believe that our Lord IS working things out in our lives according to His purpose. Let’s remember that He IS FAITHFUL to fulfill His Word. Let’s choose to walk by faith and not by sight or EMOTIONS. For it’s ONLY if we start BELIEVING again that we will begin to have peace over our situation and find rest from our turmoil. (Hebrews 4:3)

I will leave you with this last scripture the Lord showed me when He was encouraging and correcting me about that situation I was going through. It’s Hebrews 10:35-36,

“So do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord. Remember the great reward it brings you! 36 Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised.” – NLT


Sep 9 2010

Each Of Us Has A Divine Purpose On Earth

“I brought glory to You here on earth by completing the work You gave Me to do. Now, Father, bring Me into the glory We shared before the world began. ” John 17:4-5

I just recently finished reading through the book of John again. When I got to verse four above I had to stop and really reflect. You see at this point in the book Jesus had been betrayed and his accusers were on their way to arrest him. He knew that they were going to kill him. The final hours of His life had come and He knew that He was completing the work that He had come to this earth to do. Facing the end of His life He could confidently say to our Heavenly Father,

“I brought glory to You here on earth by completing the work You gave Me to do.”

This made me think, will we be able to say the same thing when our lives’ are nearing its end? Will we be able to say that we have brought Jesus glory in this world, in our families, in our communities, in our work places, and in our schools? Will we be able to say that we have completed the work He gave us to do?

I believe that we can say these words IF we begin to seek Him first in everything we do and IF we allow the Holy Spirit to guide us in our daily lives. Then we will fulfill our divine purpose in this world.

Let no one reading this be confused in or in doubt, EACH OF US HAS A DIVINE PURPOSE ON EARTH. Our lives are not an accident. Our salvation is not a coincidence. We are part of His divine plan and He has something specific for each of us to do here on this earth. We were born and reborn in Christ, saved for God’s service. Our Heavenly Father confirms it in Jeremiah 29:11 when He says,

“For I know the thoughts and PLANS that I have for you, says the Lord, thoughts and plans for welfare and peace and not for evil, to give you hope in your final outcome.” (NLT)

Ephesians 2: 10 reaffirms that our Lord has a divine and specific plans for us by saying,

“For we are God’s [own] handiwork (His workmanship), recreated in Christ Jesus, [born anew] that we may do those good works which God predestined (planned beforehand) for us [taking paths which He prepared ahead of time], that we should walk in them [living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us to live].” (Amplified Bible)

This is why He has given each of us special gifts and talents. We are gifted to serve Christ and others. Our gifts bring glory to God when we are using them to minister to the lost, love and comfort the hurting, and encouraging others to keep pressing forward. Our gifts both natural and spiritual are given to us so we can help each other. Our divine purpose and the work He has given each of us to do is to be His mouthpiece. We are called to be His ambassadors and conduits of His love. Our gifting, whatever they may be, will help spread the message about Christ Jesus. He will use our gifting to open divine doors of opportunity to share the Truth about Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 12:7 & Ephesians 4:12)

When our Savior laid down His life for us He did it so that we who would believe in Him would become new people in Him. We are no longer to live for ourselves. Instead we are to live for Christ. Our new life in Christ is a gift from God. In our new life we have a task to complete and is to reconcile people to Him. For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And He gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making His appeal through us. This is our divine purpose, to share the Gospel, the message of salvation with the world around us. (Ephesians 4:20-24, 2 Corinthians 5:19-20)

So like our Lord we must let our light shine for all to see. We must share the love of Christ with those He puts in our path and help those in need. Let us be living testimonies of Christ Jesus and glorify God by completing the work He gave us to do here on this here. May the day come that we hear our Lord say,

“Well done, good and faithful servant.”


Aug 24 2010

Our Children Are Under Attack!

For many days now the Spirit of the Lord has had it on my heart that our youth are under a severe attack of the enemy. The enemy has determined to steal our children’s faith by trying to pull them away from the truth of God’s Word. He is determined to get them to serve and make material things, money, drugs, alcohol, their boy friends/girlfriends, sexual immorality, entertainment, technology, and their own sinful selfish desires their gods. He is constantly sending subliminal messages through certain movies, TV shows, books, music, ungodly friends and even their cellular phones. Their cellular phones, video games, and laptops are stealing their time, keeping them distracted, and are becoming open doorways for the enemy to come into their lives.

As Christian parents we need to remember that we are in a spiritual battle fighting against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world. There are mighty powers in this dark world and evil spirits in heavenly places that are determined to steal, kill, and destroy our children. (Ephesians 6:12)

Let’s not be naive. Look around you…listen to the news. There are teenagers taunting and bullying each other. They’re violently attacking and killing one another. They’re being arrested, charged with lewd and lascivious conduct because they are getting caught engaging in oral sex on school buses. They’re hurting emotionally and expressing their pain by cutting themselves. Many young girls are so desperate to be skinny like the super models and altered images they see in magazines that they are starving themselves and purging when they do eat. Statistics are showing that one in four women will be a victim of attempted sexual assault during their time spent in college. Other statistics show that nationally more than half of our teenagers are virgins only up until age 17. Still other stats say that four in ten women become pregnant at least once before age twenty. Many teens and young adults aren’t ashamed about showing their half naked bodies in social network photo albums or sitting in front of a webcam in their undergarments trying to seduce the viewer on the other end. Having text sex has become the norm.

This is horrible! This is what is becoming of our next generation. What are we going to do about it as Christian parents?

These are perilous days. We need to be actively involved in our children’s lives talking with them, giving them direction and wise godly counsel. We need to really know who their friends are. We must make their business our business.

We must lift them up and encourage them to not be afraid to be different, but to live for Christ Jesus and to be the salt and light in their schools, hangouts, neighborhoods, and social clubs. They need to know and understand that our enemy the devil is real and that he has assigned his demons and imps to come against Christian families. The devil does not want our children to live for Christ. He does not want them to love one another. He does not want them to be living testimonies and ambassadors of Christ Jesus who stand for Truth. He wants to snuff out their light. But we have a say. We can pray and make a difference in our children’s lives. It is up to us to decide whether we are going to ignore what we see. Are we going to ignore the warning signs? Or are we going to teach our children morals, self –respect, honor, to love themselves and others, and to live holy and pure lives?

Proverbs 22:6 says, “Direct your children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it.”

We can teach our children to live godly lives and direct them on the right path which is found in the Word of God. If we do not get the Word of God into our children they will be destroyed for lack of knowledge. They will go through terrible unnecessary hardship and drama if they are not rooted in the Word of God. Just think of what some of us went through before we knew Jesus and allowed the Word to renew our minds. That is what needs to happen with our children. They need their minds renewed from all the junk too. (Hosea 4:6, Romans 12:2)

The Holy Spirit has been impressing on my heart that I must counter the attack on my family by encouraging my children to get into the Word daily and for them to build their own personal relationship with Jesus Christ. I feel led to become more diligent in praying over them, and to speak His Word over their lives constantly. I am standing on the promise that He has given us in Isaiah 55:11 that says that He sends out His Word and it ALWAYS produces fruit. It will accomplish all that He wants it to and it WILL prosper everywhere He sends it. So now I will be sending them off in the morning with little Bread of Life notes. They are scriptures for the day that they will walk out of the house with. I trust my Lord to bring them confirmation of His Word. He always does and they always stand in awe.

I pray for every Christian parent who reads this that our Lord will open your eyes and ears to hear and see the traps that are being set for your children. I pray that you rise up in the authority and power of the Holy Spirit and take dominion over your family. May our Lord give us wisdom and direction to handle each situation that we WILL encounter. May He help us to close any doorways that have been opened to the devil and his demons in our lives. I am entrusting your family and mine into God’s hands. Greater is the Spirit that lives in us than the spirit who lives in this world! (1 John 4:4)