God is Good.

I added the period in the title because it's true- God is Good- PERIOD, ENOUGH SAID, THAT'S A FACT! It's been a while since I last posted. I always want to post some great a new things that God has been teaching me or doing in my life. There's been so much that I just can't post about one certain one. He is so faithful.

Last week, I went to a revival at my church. We've done a lot of "talking" about revival. We are ones to just have a week of services and say it's a revival. We were truly seeking to be revived!! And guess what- WE ARE! Last weekend we experienced a great outpouring of the Spirit. I was ministered by and through the power of the Holy Spirit. I really can't even express into words what happened. It was powerful. I was so blessed just to be able to sit and watch God answer our prayers for my very eyes. It was wonderful! God is so Good. On Sunday, I was being prayed for by a beautiful, fearful, Spirit-filled woman of God. God was revealing some things to her to pray for that I was blown away by. He was definitely confirming some truths in my life and was even responding to some prayers that I have previously had. There is definitely nothing bad about a God who does that!! God is so Good.

And then, this week as I was seeking in the Word of God and just praying about some things that I've been dealing with, God was answering me again. So real and so true. It was a great releasing of who He is and what He was wanting me to do. I know that in listening and in following Him that I will walk in Freedom and He will be glorified.

God is so Good.

It was lost, but is now found!

Recently, like last night, I was studying some scripture and preparing for a FCA event, Fields of Faith. This is a night set nationally by FCA for students to gather at a local football field or set location for a time of scripture reading, testimonies, and worship. The scripture to be read is from 2 Chronicles 34. I wasn't familiar with this scripture so I read it last night, again, again, and again. It was amazing! Josiah was king. He was 8 years old when he began his reign. For me, this was amazing in itself. He was a young boy who did what was right in the eyes of God. It says he did not stray to the right or to the left. I thought this was incredible. That this young boy was steadfast and strong. Then, when he was 16 he began to tear down strong holds and strong places in the land. These strong places was altars that had been built in honor of Baal and other gods and idol. Josiah had enough passion and courage in himself at 16 that he stood up and began to make needed changes. Then, he began to clean the temple. He paid for the cleaning dream team to come in and purify what had been defiled and restored what was messed up. In their cleaning the clutter and junk from the temple they found the Law. This Law had been missing for 55 years! Imagine how messed that place must have been!?!

In doing this study and reading, God was bringing to my attention the "Josiah experience" that I had this summer. My life was getting cluttered. I had built high places to new gods. And in doing so, I had lost the Word. I had lost a passion to hear and read from the Lord. God began to place a desire in my heart for a new thing to be done. As I began to draw near to Him, He began to draw near to me. Things began to surface and I was able to tear down altars and high places that I had built without knowing. In doing this, the Bible, God's Word was found! As I began to seek and dig into scriptures, it was so new and real to me. I had never encountered the Word of God like this before. It had been lost in all my clutter, but now through the Light, it has been found. God is continuing to reveal new and fabulous things from His heart. These things can be heard and seen in His Word and through prayer. I pray that you along with me will continue to be aware of the clutter in our lives and that we, like Josiah, will clean and purge what's in our lives so that His word can be found.

For the Glory of Love!

This is actually quite a funny story (or at least I think!) about something that God taught me the other morning. I wasn't reading the Bible during my quite time. I wasn't in a deep spiritual prayer. I wasn't in the middle of singing a powerful worship song. I was taking a shower Tuesday morning. This week was Homecoming week at the middle school and we had fun dress up days each day for school spirit. Tuesday was Hero day. Students and teachers could come to school dressed as their favorite hero. I think this is some random information now, but it will soon come into play with what I'm going to say. During my shower I had a million things running in my head. I was thinking about what hero I could be...I quickly decided none! I was thinking about an email from a friend and some of what she said. Her email was beginning to stick in my head and particularly as word that she used. She had used the word "honor". I mean this wasn't a new word that I had never heard before. But, for some reason it was in my head. I couldn't even get it out. Now this is the funny part. I then began to sing a song. I'm not sure if you're familiar with Peter Cetera. If not, you should. I was singing Peter's song-"For the Glory of Love"-

I am a man who would fight for your honor

I'll be the hero you've been dreaming of

We'll live forever knowing together That we did it all for the glory of love
It's like a knight in shining armor From a long time ago

Just in time I will save the day Take you to my castle far away
I am the man who will fight for your honor I'll be the hero that you're dreaming of

We're gonna live forever knowing together That we did it all for the glory of love

I thought this was hilarious. Here I am in the shower and this song has popped into my head. And then, just as He always does- He began to speak to me. God was singing to me that HE gave me a man who will fight for my honor! What?!? I was seriously confused. Was God really using a Peter Cetera song circa 1986 to teach me something. Yes! It was clearly being unfolded in my heart and my head. Jesus is my hero. He's my knight in shining armor. He fights for my honor. I was then picturing myself standing in a courtroom. I was being accused of all sorts of wrongs. Sadly, I had to plead guilty. Yes- I am a liar! Yes- I have hated! Yes- I have served other gods! Yes- I have been impure! All these sins that I was being accused of were true...they were accurate. There wasn't a false accusation being thrown forth. BUT, here comes my defendant. He's not like anyone ever seen in a courtroom. He's hero material. A knight in shining armor sort. Standing before me, He begins to plead my case. He was pleading my innocence. This man was fighting for my honor! This is the mighty work of God's infinite grace, mercy, and certainly His love. God sent His Son as our defendant. Because of the Blood that covers me and my sins, Jesus is able to defend my honor. He looks past the lies, the hate, the impurities, the shame, and the guilt and says that it has all been taken away through the Blood. It is then and there that we can be honored. In the Presence of the Great Defender- the Glory of Love!