The Battle

James 4:7 Submit therefore to God. Resist the devl and he will flee from you. I think that often times when we quote this verse we forget the first part: Submit therefore to God. Before we are even able to resist the devil we MUST submit to God, to His authority and to His will. If we try to resist the devil on our own and in our own weak authority - he'll just keep coming back. It is only by the power of God at work in our lives that we can defeat the enemy but until we truly submit to God's authority we cannot and will not operate in that power. So join me and decide TODAY, February 18, 2014 that we will SUBMIT therefore to God. And then, we will resist the devil and he will flee once and for all. There's a war that rises up and wages on and on. My enemy is all around strong and firm. The war rages on with no end in sight. It all seems hopeless and defeat is in front of me. I'm weak and cannot fight and the war seems all but lost. But then I call on Jesus to bring the victory. The one who holds my hand picks up my sword and stands. It is then I understand that I was never meant to fight. Who but God can go before me? Who but God can conquer my foes? He is my shield and defense. With His mighty hand He wins the victory.

Trusting God all the way

Jesus is the author and finisher of our faith. He is the rock of our salvation. He has promised that He will never leave or forsake us. He is our great Shepherd. He will lead us until the end. What He starts in our lives He will finish in His time. His ways are not our ways. His plans are not our plans. There is no one who loves us more unconditionally than He does. If only we could fathom His love for us then we would not work so hard to find acceptance elsewhere. We would not so often feel rejected. We would not know what it meant to feel lonely. We would not know what it meant to feel discouraged or hopeless. If we could just fathom all that He wants us to experience in Him and through Him as we walk His path for us, we would be the most happiest people on earth. Recently I heard some very exciting news. Faith School of Theology is on its way to becoming accredited. That means that they'll be offering Associate and Bachelor degrees in Theology. That also means that anyone who has graduated from Faith School can return and complete their Bachelor Degree. Two years ago if I had heard about this I probably would have shrugged it off and thought, "I've already done my time at Bible College." For the past few years I've been so caught up in getting caught up in something that would make me happy that I believe I veered off the path that God originally put me on. In this Season of my life God decided it was time to bring me back to where He wants me to be. If all goes according to plan and Faith School does become accredited I'm going to go back to get my degree in Theology. In the past few months I've been trying to figure out what it is I should be doing, where it is I should be going - but in trying to figure all of this out I left out one key question, "What does God want me to do? Where does God want me to go?" There have been so many things that I tried but failed at because I was doing it my way - I was trying to make MY own plans happen. God wants so much more for us. His ways are not our ways and His ways are actually BETTER and BIGGER and HIGHER than our ways. You see, I feel so good about this decision to go back to school. It feels as though I'm going to be on the right path for God to open the right doors so that I can fulfill HIS plan for my life. Sure, there are still questions about the future but I am resting in the fact that God has opened a door that no man can shut. I am resting in the fact that He is my Shepherd and He will not lead me astray. I am resting in the fact that what He started so many years ago He is about to finish. Finally I am feeling freedom. Before I felt like I was never at peace - always trying to figure out God's will. But we don't figure out God's will. We trust God. When we trust Him everything else falls into place. And it is step by step in faith that His will comes to pass. I am excited for what is to come. I'm following the Great Shepherd. He's got my back. He's my sure foundation and I don't have anything to fear. All is well and the best is yet to come!

Remembering Bulgaria

Today I was looking through my old photo albums and came upon pictures from a Missions trip I took to Bulgaria. I'm reminded of words of a friend of mine when I came back from that trip, "I went to Thailand where there is real danger when the Gospel is preached. You went on a vacation." It may not have been a roughing it Missions trip but what I saw there were people in need. I saw children who had very little but who wore such gigantic smiles when they saw a group of Americans who were interested in telling them about Jesus. I saw women who felt worth because we asked them to stand along side us as we taught the children about the wordless bracelet. I saw an elderly woman who wept as I spent several minutes praying with her as I held her in my arms. I saw people in need. And we had what they needed. I saw an opportunity to show love and acceptance to a people who otherwise are discriminated against and put down because of their bad habits. What some of them needed were just to feel like they were worth more - and that there was a future for them that wasn't pick pocketing and robbing

or mothering by the age of 12 and spending their teen years trying to feed their little ones. I saw the opportunity to show Jesus in every village we ministered in. "The sacrifices of God are a borken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise." Psalm 51:17

He's a better driver

I'm learning that I have to let go of some things in order for God to have complete control of my life. Should be a no brainer right? Not for me. I'm always trying to figure things out; asking questions like what if, how, why or when? Jesus is in control. No matter what the future holds I don't have to be afraid and I don't have to figure out how I'm going to get there. I only have to trust that God knows best and that doesn't mean He is going to subtract from my life...it means He's going to add to my life. It means that He has good plans for my life and the only way for those plans to be fulfilled is for me to let go of the steering wheel, get out of the driver's seat and let Him drive. He knows my desires...even before I speak them. He fashioned me and formed me. He knows my thoughts even before they are in my head. He's out for MY good not to harm me. He's not going to drive me down a dead end road and He's not going to steer me off course. He's going to take me where His plans will unfold. I may not understand why He's turning left when I think He ought to turn right. I may not understand why the light is not turning green after it's been on red forever and a day. All I know is that I'm safe in the hands of Jesus. He's got my life under control...as long as I let go and let Him take me where He wants me to go. I don't need to know how I'll get there. I just need to trust the man in the driver's seat. TRUST...that is the key. It doesn't mean subtraction...it's addition and multiplication. He may not take me down the same path everyone else is traveling down (not that their road is any better or worse than my own) but He may take me down the scenic route. I don't want to have control anymore...it's too much of a weight on my shoulder. Several years ago I wrote a song. The chorus was simple and went like this: It's in your hands Lord (3 times) to do what you will (2 times) with it. There truly is freedom in handing over the keys of our life to Jesus. He's a much better driver.

Beyond Feelings

Feelings come and go. Emotional roller coasters shifting to and fro, up and down. Feelings come and go but the facts remain. What is fact lasts. What is feeling is fleeting. Who said if it feels good do it? Not everything we feel is real and not everything real we feel. Let's hold on to the facts and what we know to be truth. Feelings are good when nurtured and grown by truthful facts. Understand the facts and lead your feelings, change your perspective. Feelings come and go but the facts remain. Go with the facts and lead your feelings.

Trust in God

Mark 11:22-24

Jesus: Trust in God. If you do, honestly, you can say to this mountain, "Mountain, uproot yourself and throw yourself into the sea." If you don't doubt, but trust that what you say will take place, then it will happen. SO listen to what I'm saying: Whatever you pray for or ask from God, believe that you'll receive it and you will. (The Voice)

Rainy Day

It's another rainy day in Belfast, Maine. I love sunny weather but every once and awhile I love rainy days just as much. It's like God is giving nature and everything in it a bath. I'm thankful that I don't live in a place where months and months can go by without seeing any rain. Rain brings a feeling of comfort...though it is accompanied by dark clouds it also brings a sense of hope that clear skies and sunlight are on the other side of those dark clouds.