GO TAKE A BATH!!!!!

“Go take a bath and don't forget to wash behind your ears. And while you are at it, be sure to scrub your dirty ankles too! And ALWAYS wear clean underwear on a daily basis because you never know if you’ll be in an accident and end up in the emergency room.”  Boy does that bring back memories of growing up. I can still hear Mom say it to me & my siblings. And of course; I sounded just like her while raising our three daughters.     

Let me share a little story about one of our daughters; who will remain nameless. She was around 11 or 12 years old and went thru a phase where she not only hated to take a bath but she fought against the idea of one every chance she got.  Regardless of the daily instruction I would give to her to “Go take a bath”; there seemed to always be a battle of the wills; hers & mine. Now get a picture of her stubborn attitude. In an attempt to convince me that a bath wasn’t necessary, she would actually smell her armpits and announce proudly, "I DON’T SMELL"!

And then one day…….”IT” HAPPENED!

When I was at work, I got a phone call and had to rush her to the emergency room with a possible appendicitis.  After a complete cat scan, we found out it was some type of viral infection that needed to run its course.  Unfortunately, she was so sick that they had no choice but to hospitalize her because she couldn’t stop vomiting & was extremely dehydrated.  It wasn’t until after she was placed in her hospital room, laying there practically lifeless that I noticed, not only was her ankles dirty, she was completely filthy and desperately needed a bath. Before you ask, let me just tell you….YES….I took time to bathe my weak, sick little girl right there in her hospital shower.  Why? Because as her Mom; I was having a hard time looking at my daughter in that filthy condition; I love her more than words could ever explain and I knew better than anyone else what was best for my little girl. 

The Lord does the same thing.  He loves us enough to tell us to bathe spiritually every day. And yet, I can’t count the number of times He would send His Holy Spirit to prompt me; take a bath Cyndy; use the scriptures I’ve provided to scrub the dirt and filth off of your mind and make sure you clean all the way around your heart too. Of course I would respond with the same stubborn attitude; denying I was doing anything wrong, finding ways to justify my sin and spiritually smell my armpits trying to convince the Lord that “I don’t smell”. 

And then one day…….”IT” HAPPENED!

Sin took its toll on me and I was becoming spiritually crippled; finding it difficult to focus on the road I had been traveling on.  My vision became blurry and I lost all sense of direction.  How could this have happened?  How could I have wondered so far away from the Lord?  And in desperation I cried out, “Where are you, Lord?  Your word tells me in Joshua 1:5 “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” And yet; when I look for You, I can’t see You.” As my dirty, lifeless “spiritual” body lay there all alone, the Holy Spirit gently reminds me that He is still exactly where I left Him; behind the path I chose to take.  My will won out; but at what price?  If only I had followed His will instead; where would I be and is it possible to get back to His will from here?  Then before I could utter another cry, the Holy Spirit ran a “spiritual cat scan” on me, located all my sin and immediately started mending my wounds; bathing me with His word; reminding me to not stray from His commands and to hide His word in my heart so that I wouldn’t continue sinning against Him.  (Psalm 119:10-11) 

Before I realized it, I slowly started to stand up again; attempting to walk according to God’s word; stumbling along the way and yet sensing the Holy Spirit pick me up as I moved forward; encouraging me to return to the Lord with all my heart; with fasting, weeping & mourning; taking off the “old spiritual” clothes I was wearing (Joel 12:12-13). 

The Holy Spirit also reminded me how important it was to clothe myself with Ephesians 6:10-18, “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.”

So there you have it; I have no more excuses.  The Lord loves me enough to remind me to take a bath, scrub the dirt and filth off of my mind and make sure I clean all the way around my heart.  Then all I have to do is get dressed in a fresh pair of “’spiritual” clothing He supplies for me on a daily basis.  And then it's up to me; I just need to pick it up and wear it.

Why did He do this for me? Because He is my Heavenly Father; He could not look at me covered in sin & filthy conditions; He loves me unconditionally; and He knows better than anyone else what is best for me; His little girl. 

What road are you on, “Your Will” located on Destruction Boulevard or “His Will” located on the corner of Favor & Blessing’s Highway?  It’s never too late to turn back to Him.  Can't you see?  He’s still where you left Him.

It’s that simple folks.

Be blessed my face book family & friends and walk in the Lord’s total favor!

Love you all,
Cyndy

STICKS & STONES

Do you remember this old saying we learned while growing up?  "Sticks & stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me." Yeah, right!  Who came up with that saying anyway and is it really true?  Not hardly! 

Quite possibly you are a victim of cruel, harsh words from the time you were a child.  When someone called you a name or even implied something bad about you; didn't it hurt?  How easy was it for you to forget those words or do they still ring clear in your ears?  Some words may have wounded you so badly that it has damaged your self esteem and possibly hindered you from the very calling God has placed on your life.

Or maybe you actually resort to name calling; tearing a person down until they are knocked out cold emotionally.  Perhaps that person offended you in some way and the only way you know how to respond is by lashing out with hurtful remarks or names.  

It’s easy to know when I’ve been offended; and much more difficult to see when I’m the offender.  Unfortunately, I can relate very well with both scenarios.  But many times, the Holy Spirit has chastised and convicted me of how I respond to someone in the heat of anger.  And it’s not always a pretty picture. 

God’s is very clear about the words that come out of our mouth.  Did you know that we actually have the power of life and death just with the use of our tongues?  It’s true!   In Proverbs 18:21 NIV it tells us that “The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.”

And the Lord wasn’t just talking about the unbeliever.  Oh contraire, my friend!  He was speaking to those of us that call Him our Lord and Savior.  Don’t believe me? Read it in James 3:9, where it says “With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness.”

And it’s very easy to justify ourselves by saying, “It’s just the way I am” or “I really didn’t mean anything by what I said or called that person.  They are just words.”  Not so fast brothers & sisters, for you see, God removes that excuse from our lips as well by digging deeper within us; our hearts.  In Luke 6:45 NIV we read, “ A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.”   

Simply put; whatever is in our heart will eventually come out.  So the truth is; it’s really a heart issue.  Ouch!  The bad remarks and bad names are buried in our hearts, waiting to come out at the next person that crosses our paths the wrong way.  Not a good thing and definitely does not please the Holy Spirit! 

If you can relate, don’t be discouraged. Rejoice in knowing the Lord loves us enough to reveal our sins and even shows us a way to fix it.  But it does take willingness from you to heed to the Holy Spirit and requires you to be completely honest with yourself.  Simply take a moment before God.  Be honest with Him and confess your sins; then sincerely ask the Lord for His forgiveness.  True repentance will start the healing process.  If possible, take the next step and apologize to those you’ve offended; even if you think they deserved it.  Then make it a habit to pray scriptures like Psalm 51:10 NIV, “Create, in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.”

 

If your heart is clean before God; the fruits of the Holy Spirit will flow freely from your lips.  “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control”. Galatians 5:22-23 NIV                                                                                             

It doesn’t get any simpler than that folks! 

Be blessed my family & friends and walk in the Lord’s total favor! 

Love you all!

Cyndy

 

About Our Father’s Business

For quite some time I have sought the Lord, asking Him to use me in ways that would glorify Him. I asked that He open up doors of opportunity for me to reach the lost & hurting people; share His great salvation plan and restore hope to those who feel like they’ve reached the end of their road.

Many times I think about the different opportunities He has placed in front of me; especially this past year. Most of the time, I do my best to heed to the voice of the Holy Spirit; watching for open doors where I can share the love of Jesus and be a witness. Yet I also realize there have been times where I’ve completed missed His direction; ultimately grieving His Holy Spirit.

But think about Jesus for a moment. He ministered to those around Him; wherever he went. At the age of twelve, He went with His parents to the temple in Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast of the Passover. But when Joseph and Mary left, He stayed behind. When they realized Jesus wasn’t with them, they hurried back and found Jesus sitting with the teachers of the temple. The bible says all who heard Jesus was astonished at His understanding and answers. However, when His parents asked Him why He stayed behind, His response was, “Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?” Luke 2:49 NKJV

In Matthew 5:1-2 NKJV it says, “And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him. Then He opened His mouth and taught them.” When He had come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed Him. And behold, a leper came and worshiped Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.” Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” Immediately his leprosy was cleansed. Matthew 8:1-3 NKJV

Luke 8 NKJV tells us that He went through every city& village, preaching about the Kingdom of God. But that’s not all He done. As He walked from place to place, He ministered to those who were lost, blind and hurting both physically and spiritually.

In Mark 5 we hear of how Jesus set a man free from an unclean spirit. And remember Jarius; the ruler of a synagogue who’s daughter was about to die? He asked Jesus to come and lay hands on her so that she would be healed. As Jesus was going to Jarius’ home, another woman who suffered from a blood disorder reached out just to touch His garment so that she would be healed. Immediately Jesus stopped and asked, “Who touched My cloths?” And when the woman came and fell down before Jesus, His response was full of compassion as He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction.”

These are just a few examples of Jesus being used; wherever He was; at any given moment.

Plain & simple folks; Jesus didn’t miss an opportunity.

And so I ask you, “Have you walked thru the open doors placed before you? Look around. There’s a mission field right where He has you. It may not be the pulpit you’ve been waiting for; or an invitation out to evangelize before millions of people. But it may very well be the pulpit God has placed before you at this time. It’s an opportunity you don’t want to miss.

It’s not about us and what we think.

It’s about being “About Our Father’s Business”.

Be blessed my family & friends. I pray you walk in the Lord’s total favor!

Love you all,
Cyndy

Circumstances Are Nothing To God!

Recently I’ve had to make some major decisions that could ultimately affect my life and my family. I didn’t know which way to turn. All I knew is that I needed a breakthrough. I prayed & prayed and found no resolve. Seemed like only trials & temptations kept springing up before me; confusing me even further. It wasn’t until our church was called to fast & pray this past January that I started to see the breakthroughs I needed. Oh, all the results I had hoped for didn’t come to pass; and certainly not the way I had anticipated. However, I could see God’s hand working in ways that I didn’t expect.

The first thing He did was to start working on ME; on my thinking, my actions; my heart. He had to bring me to a place where all that mattered was Him and what He had in store for me personally; not my circumstances. Truth is; until I was ready to face my own issues, there would be no resolve for other issues looming over my life. During that time of praying & fasting I faced many trials and of course temptations that would challenge my faith; forcing me to ask myself if I really trusted God the way I claimed I did.

Since that fast in January, I have felt led to fast & pray again in March. Except the results this time was a bit different now that He had me back on the right track and was able to minister to me regarding my circumstances. I was actually open to His direction. The next thing I learned is that circumstances are nothing to God; yet I am everything to Him.

In Matthew 17, we hear about a man that needed a breakthrough; a healing for his son. His son had epilepsy; and yet Jesus’ disciples were not successful in helping his son. Not even Jesus’ disciples could help him! These were men that were the closest to Jesus. They were his running buddies to put it into more modern terms. But fortunately for the man, the story doesn’t end there. When the man saw Jesus, he knelt down beside Him; begged for mercy and asked Jesus to heal his son. Without hesitation; Jesus took authority over the situation, commanded the evil spirit to come out of the man’s son and within an hour, he was healed.

Matthew 17:19-21 (NKJV) “Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?” So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.”

Do you need a breakthrough; maybe a physical healing; a new job; family or marital restoration or possibly deliverance from temptations & sin? Do you have a desire to serve God and allow Him to be Lord over your life; yet it seems regardless of all your efforts to serve Him, there are always trials or temptations that emerge in the face of adversity; trials that tempt you to take a different path than what God has laid before you? Possibly a stumbling block you continually kick away; only to find it resurfacing time and time again. It’s as if it taunts & tempts you to jump on board for a joy ride adventure! Maybe you’ve even prayed and sought God; asking that He remove it forever; and still it lingers and rears its ugly head at your weakest moment; leaving you to feel absolutely hopeless in an already bad situation.

Well, you’re not alone! Everyone has experienced it at one time or another; and if other believers say they never struggle in this area, they aren’t being honest…with themselves. Circumstances, trials & temptations come in various forms; and they come to everyone!
If you’ve tried everything and nothing seems to have worked, what more do you have to lose but to do what God’s word tells us to do for a breakthrough? 
 

· Fast & pray

· Be open to God’s direction

· Be ready for change; in you & in your circumstances

It’s that simple folks!

Be blessed my family & friends!  I'm praying the Lord's total favor overshadows each on one of you!!!!!

Love you all,
Cyndy

Oh Lord, Don't Lose the Harvest!

In Luke 10:2 NLT, we see where Jesus instructs others, “The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields.”

For many years I’ve done my best to witness to those around me.  Wherever God may have me, my prayer is that He will use me for His glory and that I would be affective for His kingdom.  Although I’ve failed miserably, I know there were many times He was pleased that I obeyed Him quickly.  And granted, there were times when I would see the fruit of my labor.  Unfortunately, there are still many fields where I generously planted seeds; yet very little has been harvested.  Lately these fields seem to be at the very heart of my soul.  As I cry out to the Lord, I find myself asking in desperation, “Oh Lord, don’t lose the harvest!  Send laborers in the field where I sowed; laborers to water the seeds and more laborers to gather the harvest.  Just…don’t lose the harvest!”   

When we consider the world and its sinful ways, it is clear that moral decay has taken deep root into the hearts & lives of so many people.  But as laborers called by the Lord to reach the lost and the hurting, it is our job to be witnesses to the ends of the earth. 

Regardless of where the Lord has you planted, there is a harvest field just waiting for you to either sow seed, water or pull the weeds…...or maybe it’s time for you to simply  harvest the fields.  Whatever you are called to do, do it quickly, without hesitation and do it as unto the Lord.  Maybe for some that means to tell others about Jesus and how much He loves them. While maybe others are called to walk in love towards others regardless of how they are being treated.  Clearly those that hurt others are hurting inside themselves.  Maybe your act of kindness is what is needed to break thru the toughest shell of a man. And trust me when I say, I know firsthand, that walking in love towards those that hurt or offend you is not an easy thing to do.  But it is something we as believers must do.

Maybe you’re like me; just waiting for the fields to be harvested after so many long years of sowing.  Allow the Lord to use others in your field.  After all, it’s not our field and it’s not about us, my dear family & friends.  It’s about the Lord and His glorious kingdom that await those who believe that Jesus in the Son of God. 

If you are a believer, you have your place in a field.  Allow the Lord to show you where you can be used. And understand, just because you may sow the seed, it doesn’t mean you’re the one to keep watering it or even the one to harvest the fields. The Lord may very well move you to another field once the seed is planted.  Be open to His will; not your own.  Whatever you do, don’t sit back and say, “Let someone else do it”.  If you don’t go, who will?
You know the saying, ‘Four months between planting and harvest. But I say, wake up and look around. The fields are already ripe for harvest.  John 4:35 NLT

Oh, Lord, Don’t Lose the Harvest!

Be blessed my family & friends!  Praying that as you seek a closer walk with the Lord that His blessings and favor will pour over you like a flood!

Love you all!

Cyndy

“For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, you are God’s building.” 1 Corinthians 3:9 NKJV