....Do not be shocked, nor fear them. The LORD your God who goes before you will Himself fight on your behalf, just as He did for you in Egypt before your eyes, and in the wilderness where you saw how the LORD your God carried you, just as a man carries his son, in all the way which you have walked until you came to this place. - Deuteronomy 1:29-31
I wonder how many of us find ourselves in a season of wondering if we are going to see the end of it and the beginning of the next season. I know for myself I wondered that in the last month or so....
It has been a wild and crazy ride! If you are crazy enough to ride those horrendous roller coaster rides that scare you half to death and make you sick you will know what kind of 'ride' I am talking about! LOL... Last year I had a friend of mine talk me into riding in the very first car of this kind of ride at Six Flags Great America...now...I have never had a problem with the roller coaster rides that have the cork screws and even go upside down...but...I have NEVER in my life ridden in the very first car of the ride....that is until last year....lets just say that was the first time and the last time that will EVER happen! LOL So what happened you may ask? Well....Everything was fine in the beginning...even with the steep drop in the beginning of the ride....it wasn't until it went into the very first cork screw that everything decided to turn black...nope...I didn't close my eyes and it didn't go into a tunnel nor was it dark outside...I started to black out!!!! All I could think of is if I black out I am going to fall off this ride and drop several stories to the ground...so what did I do? I prayed so loud I didn't care who could hear me! hahahaha It worked and I didn't completely black out...
Why do I tell this story? It goes so well with what the LORD is doing all across the nations in His bride (children). He is taking you on this crazy ride that you really want to get off and run the other way and you are not sure you are going to make it through. All I can say is yes you will make it through and He will remind you of the promises that He has given you! Sometimes all you can do is grab ahold of God and cry out until your voice is hoarse and your tears are all dried up. But if you could even try to imagine what the 'other side' of this ride holds you will hold on for dear life and push your way through. I know for myself He had me face some fears that I have had since I was a child and some really religious mindsets. I'm still in process but I have had such an amazing breakthrough in both of these areas! Praise Jesus! Was it easy? Heck no!!!! And I really didn't know if I was going to make it! But GOD!!!! He reminded me of several of the promises He had given me and I held on to those with my life! I continue to push through...because the vision's and promises He has given me can only be fulfilled as I walk through each season. I can't stop. I HAVE to push through. And I am! The sweetness of my quiet time with the LORD has been revived and renewed. And just tonight He gave me another little nugget of what has to happen at times in order to reach your promise land sometimes....
He brought us out from there in order to bring us in, to give us the land which He had sworn to our father. - Deuteronomy 6:23
In order to walk on water, you have to leave your insecurities on the shore! You will walk into your promise land! Take hold of the promises of God! You can do it! If I can, then anyone can! Love you all so much and the best is yet to come! Love Jesus will all your heart, mind, soul and strength!
From my heart to yours,
Sandy
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Friday, September 14, 2012
Hope or Hopeless
Hope deferred makes the heart sick....
How many times do we find ourselves in this type of position? I pray not many...but I do know that we do come to that point at times because of our expectations, or might I add what we have been taught over numerous years has not been the truth. I myself have been there recently (still there). This definitely has not been one of my bright and shining moments and find myself thinking of how could I have done it differently....should I have accepted the help that was extended to me? Or was this really something I needed to do on my own. (talking about my own circumstance that landed me in this place that seems hopeless)
I have been reading a book called '10 Lies the Church Tells Women' by Lee Grady. Its really a great book for both men and women to read and very biblically sound. I'm not that far into it, but I do have to say that just reading the introduction at the beginning of the book already started to mess with my world of what I had believed. For some reason throughout the years I started to believe things about ministry and marriage dealing with women that were not biblical at all. Why? I guess its because those that were saying it were what I would call great men and women of God. I looked up to them. To me I didn't have to demand them to show me where that was in the bible, I just took it at face value. So here I am years later only to find myself in this place of realizing I have had some really wrong mindsets. This book from the very beginning will stir up anger (in a holy way) at how the church has viewed women over the years and still does. You find yourself at times weeping only because of how sad and how long you have believed these lies...Then you find how freeing it is to not be under the 'weight' of what is 'expected' of you (according to the religious mindset of some) and what your 'position' in ministry and marriage should be. But it really shows you what the Word says about women in ministry and how a real biblical based marriage should be. No wonder why we have a divorce rate in the church that is just as high as the one outside of the church. I find myself even as I am typing this......weeping...partly because I hurt not just for myself but for those that still believe these lies. Oh how the devil has counterfeited the purity and holiness and partnership of marriage. Talk about hopelessness! Of course we would experience this hopelessness especially living under this kind of religious mindset!
So ladies....if you are like me and have lived under such fear of being in a marriage where no matter what happens the man is always right and you do as he says without question (i personally know of marriages like this) and/or under the belief that you can't go into full time ministry without being married and your husband leading the ministry while you sit quietly by...Learn the truth from God's word.....Its okay to question people of their beliefs...You're not saying they are wrong....you are just seeking God's word for yourself....Pray and ask God to show you His truth....NOT man's....I have learned a very valuable lesson in this time...Do NOT seek counsel from everyone that is close to you about what you should do..you will get answers from each end of the spectrum! believe me! I know! This only brings confusion....seek God first always!...it is okay to have someone who gives godly counsel (which is normally your pastor...in my case it is my pastor and I should have listened to him) but don't ask everyone that comes in your path...lol...
Anyways....I would say...get this book! I'm not even halfway through it and each time I read it I am a weeping mess! (which is on a daily basis! lol) But I continue to get set free from mindsets that have held me back from the blessings He has placed in my path.... So my hope is in the Lord! Not in my circumstances....I know some of this blog is a little scattered, but that's what happens when you blog at 1:30 in the morning! LOL
So my hope is in the Lord!
Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, My lips will praise You. - Psalm 63:3
From my heart to yours,
Sandy
How many times do we find ourselves in this type of position? I pray not many...but I do know that we do come to that point at times because of our expectations, or might I add what we have been taught over numerous years has not been the truth. I myself have been there recently (still there). This definitely has not been one of my bright and shining moments and find myself thinking of how could I have done it differently....should I have accepted the help that was extended to me? Or was this really something I needed to do on my own. (talking about my own circumstance that landed me in this place that seems hopeless)
I have been reading a book called '10 Lies the Church Tells Women' by Lee Grady. Its really a great book for both men and women to read and very biblically sound. I'm not that far into it, but I do have to say that just reading the introduction at the beginning of the book already started to mess with my world of what I had believed. For some reason throughout the years I started to believe things about ministry and marriage dealing with women that were not biblical at all. Why? I guess its because those that were saying it were what I would call great men and women of God. I looked up to them. To me I didn't have to demand them to show me where that was in the bible, I just took it at face value. So here I am years later only to find myself in this place of realizing I have had some really wrong mindsets. This book from the very beginning will stir up anger (in a holy way) at how the church has viewed women over the years and still does. You find yourself at times weeping only because of how sad and how long you have believed these lies...Then you find how freeing it is to not be under the 'weight' of what is 'expected' of you (according to the religious mindset of some) and what your 'position' in ministry and marriage should be. But it really shows you what the Word says about women in ministry and how a real biblical based marriage should be. No wonder why we have a divorce rate in the church that is just as high as the one outside of the church. I find myself even as I am typing this......weeping...partly because I hurt not just for myself but for those that still believe these lies. Oh how the devil has counterfeited the purity and holiness and partnership of marriage. Talk about hopelessness! Of course we would experience this hopelessness especially living under this kind of religious mindset!
So ladies....if you are like me and have lived under such fear of being in a marriage where no matter what happens the man is always right and you do as he says without question (i personally know of marriages like this) and/or under the belief that you can't go into full time ministry without being married and your husband leading the ministry while you sit quietly by...Learn the truth from God's word.....Its okay to question people of their beliefs...You're not saying they are wrong....you are just seeking God's word for yourself....Pray and ask God to show you His truth....NOT man's....I have learned a very valuable lesson in this time...Do NOT seek counsel from everyone that is close to you about what you should do..you will get answers from each end of the spectrum! believe me! I know! This only brings confusion....seek God first always!...it is okay to have someone who gives godly counsel (which is normally your pastor...in my case it is my pastor and I should have listened to him) but don't ask everyone that comes in your path...lol...
Anyways....I would say...get this book! I'm not even halfway through it and each time I read it I am a weeping mess! (which is on a daily basis! lol) But I continue to get set free from mindsets that have held me back from the blessings He has placed in my path.... So my hope is in the Lord! Not in my circumstances....I know some of this blog is a little scattered, but that's what happens when you blog at 1:30 in the morning! LOL
So my hope is in the Lord!
Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, My lips will praise You. - Psalm 63:3
From my heart to yours,
Sandy
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