February 2005
Monthly Archive
You Are Not Alone!!
Posted by Paul on 28 Feb 2005 | Tagged as: General
How’s that for a title?
Wish I could say it was mine but it wasn’t. It was the title of the handout that was given out when I went to the Divorce Care class Sunday morning. I know, I know, I can hear some of you saying, no way would I go to something like that, you gotta be kidding.
It is a singles ministry at North Star Church that I have been attending. I almost didn’t go. It has been eight months since my divorce, I didn’t know if I was emotionally ready for such a thing.
I am so glad that I went. Yes, I was emotional. Tears welled up in my eyes as I listen to various ones introduce themselves and share briefly.
The handout “You Are Not Alone” touched me in so many ways by the many quotes from those who have been or are going through a divorce. Here are some of the quotes:
- “There are no winners. The pain, the loss, the brokenness that divorce brings is a reality that we carry for the rest of our lives” … “it affects the whole family, extended family and friends. Children of all ages are wounded and scarred for life.”
- “The death of a marriage is hard as or harder than death from disease or tragedy. It is not something you get over quickly.”
- “I know it’s risky for people to reach out. But I wish they’d know it was ok to ask how I was, to express concern about what is happening. I needed to know there were people who cared for me” … “…divorce caused me to re-examine every part of my life and to search out new directions. More than anything else, it caused me to see and know God in more immediate ways.”
There were quite a few in the class, men and women of all ages and I could identify with all of them.
I felt totally at ease. That those who are teaching, leading this ministry have a heart for this and I feel like the Lord will use this to heal even more wounds of the heart, of the spirit.
I have discovered it is so very important to have fellowship with brothers and sisters in the Lord. To have those who understand what you have or are going though.To enough one another.
I have been amazed at how the Lord has been orchestrating my life. How He has been guiding my life, the path that I am on and the people that I have met, especially since being here in Kennesaw, Georgia.
I feel as if I am in a phase in my walk and relationship with the Lord, in my writing, ministry and this class that I am now attending.
I have a sense of expectancy, that when the Lord is finished, others will know that it is truly the Lord that has gone before me on this path called life. That He has been preparing this path all my life to get me to the place that I am now in Him and that is something that the Lord wants us to know is that He is truly in charge, that He will bring us through.
Though we may not always understand at the moment and the times may be dark, it is during these times that I am learning that He is the closest and we are to look to Him and trust Him and the light will shine forth and we will begin to understand little by little that He is indeed carrying us through.
Our faith, our trust is truly in Him!
Till later,
Paul
When We Least Expect It!!
Posted by Paul on 26 Feb 2005 | Tagged as: General
Just finished up a little while ago with the men’s bible study here at Starbucks.
Wasn’t expecting it to be so emotional. But it was, as we discussed that we all come to a place in our lives at some time, where we are reduced to a place that we are utterly dependent upon the Lord.
Where everything that we counted on or we looked to is stripped away, totally removed and the only option we have is to look to the Lord as the sole answer and source for all things in our lives.
It is not an easy place to be because it strips you, of you. Makes you realize how hopeless life is without the Lord as the source of strength. That He is the very foundation that we must build upon. It is the only thing that will not be shaken, torn asunder, that will stand the storms, the battles, the adversities that come our way.
That even through tears we can look to our Father, knowing that He so loves us that He wipes away the tears, He eases the pain and He applies the balm of healing that reaches our inner most being.
He also teaches us to forgive ourselves, to know that He has taken it all to the cross. That He has forgiven us, and we have to forgive ourselves, knowing that it was all nailed to the cross, removed, so that we can start afresh. A new beginning as we draw from Him the strength to walk the path we are on, each day.
That is what the Lord did this morning as I fellowship with my brothers in the Lord here at Starbucks. The Lord reached in and touched some more wounds in my life that I thought I had yielded to Him and once again set me free to focus on Him.
Again, the Lord in mercy and grace, set me free this morning to let go and allow Him to work in my inner most being and He used others to do so. We need to allow the Father to touch our hearts, our spirits, to set us free.
Allow Him to use others to bring healing to your life when He wants. You will be surprised at the awesomeness of our Father to touch our lives through others when we least expect it and in ways that will surprise us.
Our Father works outside the box that we have put Him in at times and sets us free when we allow Him to be who He is. Lord of Lords, King of Kings, Our Father, who sets us free to follow Him.
Till later,
Paul
Dealings, Oh My!!
Posted by Paul on 23 Feb 2005 | Tagged as: General
It is not always easy to deal with the dealings of God in our lives.
Sometimes it is really hard when our Father deals with us to get our attention, to make us aware of some things in our lives that really need to be dealt with because it effects us, as well as others.
That is what the Lord did. He woke me up in the middle of the night to bring some things to my attention. He spoke to my heart about my snacking. That it has become a habit, one that needs to be dealt with.
I had gotten into the habit of snacking between meals, not so much because I was hungry, but just because I wanted to munch. Rather than turning my attention to something constructive such as walking, or writing, I munched.
It is really awesome that my Father loves me enough that He woke me up and dealt with me in mercy and grace, to make known that I was creating problems for myself. Now I can begin to yield this area of my life to Him so that it can be changed, knowing that He will give me the strength to do so.
It is really important to learn to yield to the Lord the areas of our lives that need to be changed. To deal with anything that interferes with our relationship with Him as well as others.
It is as we yield to the Lord, that we are changed. That we are being conformed to the Lord. Being changed daily.
Allow the Lord to show you the things in your life that need to be dealt with. Ask Him to show you those areas and trust Him to do so in mercy and grace so you can walk in all the Lord has for you.
Rejoice in the fact that we have a Father who truly loves us, cares for us and wants to deal with those things that effect our relationship with Him and with others!
Till later,
Paul
You Light Up My Life!!
Posted by Paul on 21 Feb 2005 | Tagged as: General
”For You cause my lamp to be lighted and to shine; the Lord my God illumines my darkness.” Psalms 18:28 (Amplified Bible)
What an awesome verse!
When I read this verse today, there was such a presence of the Lord. That He is making me to finally realize that He is the light of my life. It is He that leads me through the valleys. That He is the light, the one that prepares the pathway before me so that I can see that He is my sole source. That He will finish that which He has begun in me.
What hope there is in this simple verse. It should make us rejoice, to leap with joy. For He will, not maybe, light the lamp, He will keep the flame burning.
Oh, the wick will need trimmed at times and the oil replenished but that is where our part comes in as we stay focused on Him.
To allow Him to replenish us each day with fresh oil, fresh manna, that yesterday is gone and tomorrow is yet to arrive.
That each day as we come before our Father we draw strength from Him. We are refilled, replenished. Given what is needed for the day to enable us to walk that path that is set before us.
He will illuminate us. Allow us to see what is needed. What we need to do. To be changed by His word, by His spirit. That He will enlighten our darkness so that we do not have to stumble but rather, He lights the path before us, as we are focused on Him. He exposes the cracks, the rocks, the things that are in our path as we walk with Him.
He so wants us to realize the reality of who He is. That He is Lord. That He takes delight in us when we come into His presence. He truly delights in us when we spend time with Him.
Is that not awesome! That the creator of Heaven takes pleasure in spending time with you and I. That we each are unique, created by Him for a time such as this and it is only as we begin to realize this, that we begin to understand, that as we go through the valleys of life, as well as the mountain tops, we are brought into His purpose, as we take the focus from us to Him. Only then will we begin to see.
There is nothing that we have gone through that can’t be used to bring glory to the Lord and we can be used as that lamp that shines brightly in the midst of the darkness and allows the Christ within to shine forth and bring hope to others.
When that light shines forth, it will draw others to want to know more about our Lord, that they will see it is a reality, not a theory and desire to know the giver of life and light.
Then we indeed will be able to say, “Lord, You light up my life, you give me hope and you make my path clear in the midst of darkness.”
Till later,
Paul
Out Of Focus!!
Posted by Paul on 19 Feb 2005 | Tagged as: General
On Friday, I was being very introspective. Looking within, contemplating my thoughts, my feelings, a self examination.
It can be a good thing, but sometimes we can allow it to take our focus off of our walk with the Lord. To focus on all the things that are “wrong”, the things that we are angry about as I did Friday.
I got really upset. Angry because my medications from the VA Medical Center has not shown up. I got angry with social security, because of my dealings with them. I got angry about my divorce.
I was angry because of having to be dependent on others and I was really angry because of dealing with constant pain. I was so angry at so many things that I lost my focus on the Lord. Instead of calling on the Lord. I dwelt on myself. The only one that knew I was angry was the Lord and me.
But I did do a wise thing. I gave my best friend in Texas, Lewis a call and let him know what was going on. That I was going through some spiritual warfare and I needed some prayer support and that is what I got.
Though we are several thousand miles apart we were able to unite in prayer and I was blessed and strengthen by the prayers of my brother in the Lord and likewise I was able to take the focus off me and was able to pray for my friend Lewis.
It is when we go through these times that we draw strength from one another. That we can unite in spirit and find strength in the Lord and it will enable us to press on and into the things of the Lord.
So if you find yourself being very introspective, look up and not in, for when we look up to the Lord, then we allow Him to look within and deal with the anger, the hurts, the pains, the things that take our focus off the Lord.
It is during these times that the Lord inclines His ear towards us, as David says in Psalms 40:1, that he ultimately hears, He answers persevering prayer. Barnes in his commentary says the word “inclined” here means properly “bowed”, that is, He “bent forward” to hearken or place His ear near David’s mouth to hear him. Is that not awesome.
Matthew Henry’s commentary says of David in this Psalm: God answered his, David’s prayers. He inclined unto David and heard His cry. He goes on to say that those who wait on the Lord, though they may wait long, do not wait in vain!
Again an awesome promise. That our Father will incline His ear towards us to hear and not only to hear, but He will lift us up out of the pit of despair, of anger, of pain and set us on a solid foundation.
What a promise and what hope is there in this. Let us also incline our ears toward the Lord that we might hear that still small voice and respond to it and be made strong in the Lord as we are obedient to the word of God, to the life that it brings as we are lifted up and out of the pit and sit on a solid, unmovable foundation.
Till later,
Paul
