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Posts Tagged ‘Holy Spirit guides’

Of All the Nerve

Posted in Christian, Life Experiences, tagged , , , , , , on July 21, 2017| 4 Comments »

I cringed at the doctor’s suggestion. A nerve  conduction study. Right. Zap the nerve that has had me limping and losing sleep for months. Make it hurt even more. Good plan…but necessary so they can discover where the pinching originates.  As the day approached, I prayed more consistently and constantly but my mind kept reminding me of the last time I had one and the tearful screams as that needle…oh, my.

“Be not far from me for trouble is near…” (Psalm 22:11)  Cast all your care on Him for He cares for you. (1 Peter 5:7) 

I kept repeating verses to offset my growing angst. Even pleaded with my biological chauffeur (my son), who has so patiently transported me to and fro over the past few months since I haven’t been able to drive, to come  into room with me. There stood the dreaded torture, I  mean diagnostic, instrument. Silent. Benign…until turned on and the leads adhered to my skin. The doctor came in with a sympathetic smile. “Technology has advanced. The needles and shocks are smaller. We will try to make this as easy on you as possible.” Oh, I wanted with all my heart to believe him.

God, help me in my time of need…buzzt, jerk, zap. Hey, not too bad. On we went from my toes to my hip. Each step of the way the doctor told me what to expect. And then, it was over. I survived.

How often do we worry unnecessarily? Why do we say we have faith and yet hop down treacherous, fictitious  bunny trails? I’ve heard it said that 90% of what we worry about never comes to pass, or isn’t half as bad as we predicted. I’ve also read that there are 365 verses in the Bible that speak to fear and worry, one for each day of the year. For me that means God knows we are “wired” to worry—probably because our innate desire to be in control is constantly tested by an out of control world.

So, I’m not going to beat myself up when anxiousness and “what ifs” knock on my brain. I will faithfully respond with Scripture…again.

A friend on Facebook asked for prayer because she stated she wasn’t sure she could take it. Why do we think we need to do so? Perhaps we need to stop taking it and let it go, giving it to God to handle for us. Reach up with our hands, our lips quivering, and ask Daddy to help. After all, He loved us enough to die for us so He could send His Spirit to be with us always. Of course that means admitting our vulnerability and lack of having it all together.

But if we do, God will guide us through it. Just like the kind, concerned doctor did for me during my tests. Even if it is a bit painful.

Do we have the nerve to do that before we reach our last nerve?

 

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I found GOD In Church

Posted in Devotional, Life Experiences, tagged , , , , , on April 20, 2015| 1 Comment »

church-building-clipart-FaithChurchYou may scrunch you eyebrows at the title. But, let’s be honest with each other. How often do you go to worship out of obedience, but during the service your mind wanders? You just are not connecting that day. You don’t “feel” the Holy Spirit moving. Your body is perched in the pew and your money is in the collection plate, but that’s about it.

This past Sunday, our rector broke tradition. He admitted he’d hit a dead end in writing his sermon and at the twelfth hour, God intervened. He heard the holy whisper in his soul, “Don’t tell them about me, they know that. Help them experience ME.”  Obediently, with a cracking voice and tears welling in his eyes, he stepped away from the pulpit and spoke the Truth God had planted in his heart, mind and soul.

Praying hands_He interrupted the normal flow of the service and asked us all to bend a knee and pray for a renewed experience of God–dwelling in us, equipping us, comforting us, and strengthening us with His Spirit so we could bring others to Him and stand together united in Christ, for each other and beside each other. Then we stayed on our knees and confessed our sins.

As we knelt, tears warmed my eyes. I felt a surge of gentle power flowing through each soul and into me. For a brief moment, we were one in Christ. One voice, one request, one humbled desire.

Of course, this is how it should always be in worship. However,our churches are filled with humans. We are all on different paths of  the faith-walk. We all have sins lurking on the edges of our souls. We all have hurts, grudges, prejudices and preferences. You know, those things Satan loves to utilize in order to separate us. Often times it is more than pews which divide us into sections.

But on Sunday, in one church who is renting space in a strip center in southwest Fort Worth as we grow our congregation, Christ’s glory filled the place as we spontaneously prayed in obedience. Our strength was renewed and we soared. It is what our congregation needed–it is what we all need.

Don’t be fooled, dear friends. We in the U.S.A and Canada are not cushioned from the evil persecution that is flooding the Coptic nations. Just because we have “In God We Trust” on our coins or sing “God Save the Queen” doesn’t mean we have an invisible wall to stop the tsunami of hatred from crashing across our land. The first waves are already lapping at our shores.

Let us all bend a knee, often and united together  and pray to renew our experience of what it is like to be true children of God, washed by the blood of the Lamb, and bolstered by His Holy Spirit. Let’s no longer think about God, but truly dwell in Him. For He alone is our strength, our comfort and our hope.

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Bless Me then Let Me Be

Posted in Christian, Devotional, tagged , , , , , , on December 21, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Bless Me, then Let Me Be

by Julie B Cosgrove

 

How often does God want to bless us 

Or maybe He wants to test us,

But we tell Him, thanks, but no.

Let’s just leave things status quo.

Don’t take me somewhere new,

I’d rather stay right here, thank you.

Don’t stretch me or bend or challenge me

Just please leave me alone, let me be.

I like it here in my little box.

All safe and cuddly with all the locks

I have placed on it to keep You out.

I’d rather complaint and whine and pout.

I don’t want to grow, I want to stay idle,

Nor spend or time on my knees reading the Bible.

I’m a mess, I know that, but hey, that’s me.

So give your grace and mercy for free.

Change the other people in my life,

The ones that hurt me and bring me strife.

Keep me warm and secure and healthy.

Oh, and yes, I’d like to be wealthy.

But don’t change a hair on my head,

mold my heart, or have me be led

down a path of service or sacrifice.

Nor have your Spirit give me advice.

Just give me what I want, Lord – that’s all.

Oh, and please be there when I fall.

And when I die, open the gates Above.

Until then, grant me unconditional love.

There’s plenty of time to be my Savior.

I have all of eternity to win your favor.

But for now, let me just believe you exist.

Be there for me, but don’t insist

I do anything different with my life.

Don’t trim me with your holy knife,

Or alter my lifestyle or way of thinking.

Just love me Lord and keep me from sinking.

“I know your works; you are neither cold nor hot. I wish that you were either cold or hot….I reprove and discipline those whom I love. Be earnest, therefore, and repent. (Revelation 3:16,19)

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In the Rain

Posted in Christian, Life Experiences, tagged , , , , , on October 1, 2012| 1 Comment »

A friend and I were hitting the thrift stores in search of clothes. She needed white shirts for her new job, and I needed more professional wear.  After four years of freelance writing in sweats and PJs at home for a living, my wardrobe was pretty bare. Since they are low-paying, part-time jobs, (hey, but in this economy both are pure gifts from God) neither of us could afford mega bucks on our attire.

Of course the day we both had off was a rainy one (another gift from God on the parched north Texas land that had been seared by 100 plus temps most of the summer). All day a soft, steady downpour peltered the city. At the last store, we had to park at the back of the lot. As we dashed, huddled under umbrellas, the wind picked up. The rain pour intensified.

We saw a family up ahead.  The mother and little girl were crammed together under an umbrella. The mother’s arm was around the child as her other hand held the umbrella’s pole. The child studderstepped to match her mom’s footsteps. The mom would slow down, then start walking quickly again.  Behind them was the father, holding the tip of the umbrella’s canopy with both hands so it would not flip upward. He was getting soaked, but with undaunted care, he maneuvered the umbrella’s spread with their steps so his two loved ones stayed as dry as possible.

courtesy of faithshare.com

Is that not what our Heavenly Father does for us? His love and grace covers us, like an umbrella against   the downpours of life. His Spirit acts as our guide, but also hovers, just like that dad, making sure we stay protected. Like the daughter underneath, if we keep matching our steps with His, we will stay dry. If we do get a bit damp, it is better than what would have happened if we were on our own. Besides, that family was heading into a store to buy dry, clean clothes. How much more awaits us at our final destination if we follow God’s directives?

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