BROKENNESS

Three men...two self inflicted with the pain of addiction. The third, a small, handicapped man...warmly greeting me.

Encounters everyday. What am I doing with these encounters? Pray. Always pray. There is not one single person on this earth who does not need prayer; powerful, heart felt prayers, not quick mutterings, or empty promises of prayer. Brokenness all around us each day. Drowning people. Waves of life billowing up. Swallowing. Reject shallowness. Let go of appearances. Go deeper. Walk the walk of Christ. Steps that lead to Him. Always Him. Our Healer. Our Life-Guard.  Our Savior. There is power in the name of Jesus. The whole world stirs at the mention of His name. Let the Love of Jesus flood the brokenness. Pray.

"For we do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, of our trouble which came to us in Asia: that we were burdened beyond measure, above strength, so that we despaired even of life. Yes, we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead, who delivered us from so great a death, and does deliver us; in whom we trust that He will still deliver us," 2 Corinthians 1:8-10 

"Pray without ceasing," 1 Thessalonians 5:17

"I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." Galatians 2:20

 "Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much." James 5:16

"I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." Phillipians 4:13

"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;" Philippians 4:6

Feeling Dried Up?

"Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?" Matthew 6:26

I've been struggling with eye problems & infections for years. My doctor finally figured out that my eyes are so severely dry that while I sleep, as soon as I go into REM (rapid eye movement) while dreaming, my dry eyes scrape against my eyelids and cause severe irritation. 

Last night I experienced one of these episodes. The excruciating pain I felt was like I'd been stabbed in the eye with a sharp object. I instantly awoke and laid there in agony for a few minutes. Due to this ongoing problem I have prescription eye drops always on hand. I quickly grabbed it, put a few drops in my eye and was able to fall back to sleep. I awoke pain free and saved myself hours, days and even weeks of pain.

Your soul can sometimes feel the same way. Life's circumstances may have you dried up. Things seem to scrape and scratch at you daily, irritating and leaving you feeling sick, hurt, isolated and trapped in your present situation. There is medicine for this. Something that you can apply that will have you feeling immediately better...it's God's word, the Holy Bible. The words in God's book are life giving truth, wisdom, comfort, healing, peace and love. It is the one thing that can ease your burdens, and carry you through the day. 

Don't continue to suffer alone. Apply God's life giving medicine for your soul. Open your Bible right now and see what He wants to tell you! Let His unending love for you set you free. He wants to give you life and even more so...LIFE IN ABUNDANCE UNTIL YOU OVERFLOW! 

"The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus." 1 Timothy 1:14

"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." John10:10

"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us," Ephesians 3:20

FREE-Lenny Kravitz & U2 Tickets!

We received free tickets to a U2 & Lenny Kravitz concert. We'd been looking forward to it all day...very excited. I drove (with my lead foot), making sure we'd arrive early. I didn't want to miss Lenny performing. As I was just about to turn into the paid parking ($25.00+) I noticed a sign off to my left which said, $1.00 Parking. In a split second decision, I checked my rear view mirror, ignoring the police waving me forward, swerved across 3 lanes to get into the left hand turn lane. I saw the $1.00 sign & NOTHING else mattered! The tail end of my car, unfortunately didn't make it all the way into the lane, cars were trying to get around me, horns blaring.

The policemen were glaring at us, shaking their heads...as we waited anxiously for the signal to turn green, uncomfortably avoiding their intimidating stares. When the light didnt change after 3 times, the cop started yelling at us. I was part way in the intersection in my attempt to get my rear end out of the fast lane...too far up to trigger the light, and someone was behind me stopping me from backing up. It was very stressful! When the light finally changed, I knew I'd still have to walk past the officer's after we parked. I was feeling incredibly anxious and didn't want to get out of the car. My night of fun was starting out full of stress and anxiety.

Sin can often affect you in the same way, making you feel guilty, believing everyone will know what you did and judge you for it. You start to avoid church, friends and family. You begin to isolate yourself. This is a trick of the enemy. He wants to get you alone, so the people who love you can no longer encourage and help pick you back up and lead you towards Christ's forgiving love.

Eventually I got out of car and reluctantly headed across the street. The police didn't notice or say anything to me as I walked with the crowd of people. I'm sure, had I been alone, it would've been a different story. I'd allowed a rash decision, stress, worry and fear, almost ruin my night.

Don't allow the enemy to continue to deceive you. Recognize his devices and grab hold of the outstretched hand of a friend or loved one. They are not there to judge you for your mistakes. The Lord has placed certain people in your life to help lead you back on the path towards peace, love and forgiveness.

"Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. Romans 8:1-2

"What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? Romans 8:31

"I took you from the ends of the earth, from its farthest corners I called you. I said, 'You are my servant'; I have chosen you and have not rejected you. So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God." Isaiah 41:9-10 

Moses answered the people, "Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today." Exodus 14:13

"To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy-to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen." Jude 24-25