With All My Might

I've learned to share what He gives me personally, because so many times it is for someone I don't even know or have no idea of their circumstance for that particular day. So, here's today's whisper from HIM from our private time together this morning:

"I am so near you. As you do my Kingdom work, I am there. At every turn... every decision... every task. Every effort made for me will be multiplied. You just do what you know to do and I will bless it. My favor is so simple yet so encompassing. Walk in it. Think it no accident the people that suddenly cross your path. I've placed them there. ...sometimes only for a season. Don't fret and stress about the details. I will take care of all. Give your resources away. I replenish the supply."

Ecclesiastes 9:10 "Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might..."

James 4:17 "Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin."

I want to do all He has asked of me with the best of my efforts. It's a scary thing to think that NOT doing it is actually sin... something to ponder!

What Rights?

Yesterday morning Vani Marshall Xavier spoke to our young married class and she has provoked some thoughts within all of us.

Where does your affection lie? Are you using any other person as a "crutch"? Do you hold any other person in higher regard than HIM in your life? She told of a time when God asked her to give Him her husband. I remember Him prompting me with that same question... I LOVE when He confirms His words to us! If we trust Him completely, then all our happiness, joy and completeness will not come from any other person... not our spouse, our children, our siblings, our parents, our friends... Does that mean He will take them away from us? Probably not... but the giving away is where freedom comes. I've always reminded my children of that. "You guys are just borrowed. You're not mine... God has entrusted you to me and your dad and we are accountable to Him for what we put into you." I don't want to forget that. We don't have rights. Sure, we live in a country where it's all about our rights but we can't look at our marriages and our relationship with God that way. With that mentality, we look at the good as blessings, not rights. I wish I could convey all she shared... get the cd! :)

The Walk

I LOVE to walk. A great day for me starts with at least a 3 mile walk before work. I prefer to walk in silence... you know this if you've been reading this blog for any length of time. The last year or two has brought me on a journey with Him and with silence. Hearing Him requires us being quiet. Last week I had one of those moments. As I walked I used the note feature on my phone to journal what I felt Him saying:

"You have to walk with me before you'll run. The daily walk brings strength and conditioning. Every runner has first walked. As the pace adjusts, you begin to feel that you could actually walk faster, sprint, jog and even eventually run. A walker sees the goal of the distance they desire to walk. As they get stronger, they start to see more effective ways to accomplish the distance. Go in my pace. Sometimes you'll run, then walk as I allow rest. The resting phase is no less powerful than the run. As long as it's all about me and not your accomplishments. Who are you aiming to please? For walkers, the first mile is probably the hardest. This is where the pace is set. Muscles are warmed up. In the second mile as the muscles warm up and the goal gets closer, there is a renewed energy and focus. The only thing that hinders this degree of refreshing is extreme outer conditions. ...Heat. The heat of spiritual warfare will affect how much you run at a given time. More refreshing is needed more frequently."

I alone bring refreshing as you walk with me.

Acts 3:19 "Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord."

When sharing this with my mom, she reminded me of Matthew 28 when Mary & Martha went to the tomb to see Jesus. The angel told them He was not there. He had risen. They were instructed to go tell the disciples...

then in verse 9: "And as they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, All hail. And they came and held him by the feet, and worshipped him."

They were obedient... they were walking... doing what was asked of them... and Jesus himself MET THEM! Keep walking... it's a daily walk. He will meet you there!

Open Up The Sky

Last night I saw Jesus in an unexpected place. A small group of us went to the Special Education Center to sing. We brought Cam along to play his guitar. We were truly blessed a thousand times more than we could have possibly blessed them. I saw Him in the faces of those sweet young men and women. There were so many stories... a little 4 year old girl who was a shaken baby from hurricane Katrina... a 30 something year old young lady who had an accident right after graduating from high school. They responded so differently to His Spirit than we do, but you could see it in their faces. My favorite moment was in the first room that we sang in. We were singing "Open Up The Sky" and there were 3 girls who knew every word. I teared up at the beauty of that moment. I will never sing this song the same way again. "We won't be satisfied with anything ordinary. We won't be satisfied at all." Those words now really ring out in my head and heart. We don't always understand why some are born with these difficulties or why accidents happen that cause these disabilities, but I know that God is sovereign and just and every single person on this globe was made to worship Him. It's such a beautiful thing.

Open up the sky. Fall down like rain. We don't want blessings. We want you! Open up the sky. Fall down like fire. We don't want anything but you.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPOKbgNP1ik

May We Never Forget

I would guess that every American can tell you where they were on September 11, 2001. I had just dropped Cameron off at the babysitter's when the first tower was struck. By the time I arrived at work, everyone had gathered in our conference room to observe what we had learned by then was a terrorist attack on American soil. I remember feeling that it couldn't possibly be real. We stayed in that room until at least noon that day. I've never watched so much news in my life as I did that day and the weeks that followed. I'm so thankful that my hope doesn't lie in this life. This life is but a vapor... so fleeting... none of us are promised tomorrow. Only what's done for HIM will last! My thoughts and prayers are with all those who lost loved ones on that day.

I Corinthians 15:19 "And if our hope in Christ is only for this life, we are more to be pitied than anyone in the world."

This chapter ends by saying: "Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord."

Hope Never Shames Us

I know that lately I have started a couple of posts saying that I woke up hearing these words... well, I promise you, it happened again this morning. I heard the word "hope". Am I super spiritual? No. That's the beauty of it. In this midst of my crazy, distracted life He speaks and I actually hear some of what He's saying. I hope to one day hear all of it. Is it possible to get to that place? I pondered this word in prayer and actually found that I had journaled some hope scriptures in the last week or two.

Romans 5:5 (Amplified) "Such hope never disappoints or deludes or shames us, for God's love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit Who has been given to us."

Am I living in expectancy? Am I taking advantage of all He has afforded me?

Living in that hope:
will not disappoint
will not mislead my mind or deceive me (according to the definition of delude)
will not shame me

Hope is confidence and trust. I am anticipating, expecting and trusting in what great thing He wants to do in me, through me and for me! I Corinthians 9:10 says "...plow in hope..." I'm remembering that today... as I go about my daily "plowing through"... HOPE!

There could never be a more beautiful you...

I absolutely LOVE this song... it means so much to me because I remember what it's like to struggle with my identity... never good enough. ...not seeing in the mirror what others saw. I struggled with eating disorders for over 10 years beginning at age 14. No one knew. I was very good at it. I was valedictorian of my high school class, worship leader at my church, very successful looking on the outside but inside I had listened to the lies of the enemy of my soul. It's an incredible story of all that God orchestrated to get my attention and maybe I'll share that sometime. God has opened many doors for me to minister to young ladies (and "not-so-young ladies) who are struggling with the same things now. You are not alone. If you are reading this and need to talk to someone, please feel free to email me (debjancook@gmail.com).

God longs for us to see our beauty as He sees it:

I Peter 3:4 "But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ks3R2BwyO0

Little girl fourteen flipping through a magazine
Says she wants to look that way
But her hair isn’t straight her body isn’t fake
And she’s always felt overweight

Well little girl fourteen I wish that you could see
That beauty is within your heart
And you were made with such care your skin your body and your hair
Are perfect just the way they are

There could never be a more beautiful you
Don’t buy the lies disguises and hoops they make you jump through
You were made to fill a purpose that only you could do
So there could never be a more beautiful you

Little girl twenty-one the things that you’ve already done
Anything to get ahead
And you say you’ve got a man but he’s got another plan
Only wants what you will do instead

Well little girl twenty-one you never thought that this would come
You starve yourself to play the part
But I can promise you there’s a man whose love is true
And he’ll treat you like the jewel you are

So turn around you’re not too far
To back away be who you are
To change your path go another way
It’s not too late you can be saved
If you feel depressed with past regrets
The shameful nights hope to forget
Can disappear they can all be washed away
By the one who’s strong can right your wrongs
Can rid your fears dry all your tears
And change the way you look at this big world
He will take your dark distorted view
And with His light He will show you truth
And again you’ll see through the eyes of a little girl