If you think God can't use random things in your life to teach you a lesson, then you are missing out. In fact, if you think God can't use random household appliances to teach you about His awesome self, then you are in the same boat I was in before today. Insert the garbage disposal. I was cleaning this dishes this morning, followed by bottles, then baby food jars. I had dumped some leftovers down in the garbage disposal, ran the water over the drain, and flipped the switch. Then, it happened. I heard the loudest, most glass shattering noise ever. "What the heck was that?!" I exclaimed aloud. I turned the disposal off and stuck my hand in the drain. What I pulled out was not any good. Among the food I pulled out was little pieces of broken glass. One of the baby food jars had fallen in the drain without me knowing....and the garbage disposal had shredded it to a million pieces. Ughhhh. "Are you kidding me?" I said to myself. I couldn't believe it.
For the next 20-30 minutes, I pulled little pieces of glass out of the garbage disposal, one by one. Very annoying. When I thought I got all the pieces out, I ran the water over the drain and flipped the switch. I stood and stared like a deer in headlights as I heard my garbage disposal slowly die. It hummed just a little before it completely gave out. When I flipped the switch on and off, I heard nothing. Then, I smelled something burning. I opened the cabinet underneath the sink where the disposal was and I smelled the burning odor even stronger. I concluded at that point that my disposal had died.
I continued washing one of Caleb's bottles and thought about how much a new disposal would cost. How in the world were we going to pay for that?! I had priced them before when I thought the disposal broke last year.
As I continued to wash the bottle, I prayed. I told God my problem. In the midst of my prayer, I felt like I should lay hands on my disposal and pray for it. Yes, that sounds completely nuts and I felt absolutely retarded doing it, but when I finished washing the bottle, I opened the cabinet, knelt down, laid hands on the disposal, and believed with all my might that it would be fixed. I really felt that it would be fixed. I could feel the power of God move threw me as I prayed. I had the faith, so when I stood up and flipped the switch and it didn't work, I was a little confused. "But God, I REALLY believed You'd fix it for me," I thought. This wasn't a matter of not having the faith...at least thats what I felt. "God, you said faith of a mustard seed.." Why wasn't my disposal fixed?!
Honestly, at that point, I was disappointed, but I really believed my disposal would be fixed somehow. I didn't feel like we were going to have to get a new one. So, I sat down on the couch, opened the laptop, and just let God speak to me. I didn't receive a burning bush or have any weird visitations from some Jesus look a-like apparition, but I had this gut instinct to Google how to fix a disposal. It's no surprise that the first link I clicked on showed me, step by step, how to check my disposal before calling a plumber and wasting money. At first, I was hesitant. I am not Mrs. Fixit. In fact, any time Ive tried to fix something, I broke it even more. I talked to John and sent him the link. I told him he could try what the website suggested when he got home. About an hour later I looked at the website again. It looked fairly simple so I figured I'd give it a try. To make a long story short and to get to the point of this blog, within 20 minutes, my disposal was working again!
What did God teach me through all of this? Well, when I laid hands on the disposal, I expected God to magically fix my disposal. I have no doubt God could have done that, but that's what I EXPECTED Him to do. God revealed to me, that when I expect Him to do something a certain way, He will usually do the opposite. We are not to try and figure God out. In a weird way, God was reminding me that I will never figure Him out, no matter how hard I try. He will work His mighty powers the way He wants to, not the way I expect Him to. The sad thing is, God had showed me this before when I expected Him to work in a certain way. Will He always do the exact opposite of what we expect? Maybe not, but He will work in any way He wants. My guess is, if you are like me and think you can figure out God, then He will work in the opposite way you expect. :)
So did God fix my disposal? Well, yes. I believe He gave me the idea to look online and He made it so I clicked on the correct link. Some people would call it a coincidence, but I call it God.
What amazes me is that God knew my disposal was going to fail and He orchestrated things to teach me a lesson.
Just Awesome. :)
Monday, October 17, 2011
Saturday, October 15, 2011
Everlasting Love and an Unending Relationship
This morning I had the chance to spend time with my Father in heaven. I was in the car rockin out to some Hillsong coming back from food shopping. I was kind of in a daze, just driving along when I stopped and listened to the words, "Jesus I want more of You." Very powerful words if you ask me. Anyway, at that moment I became grateful. I was thankful for all that God has done for me and continues to do. I was grateful for the awesome food shopping trip I just had (yes, its true). If you are the main 'food shopper' in your house, then you will know the price of food has gone up. I go food shopping once every two weeks and every time I go, it seems the prices go up. I was so very thankful that I was able to make it out of ShopRite UNDER our budget! What a blessing!
Anyway, I thanked God over and over and I continued to rock out to my Hillsong CD. I sang the words like I truly meant them. Then, God revealed to me something I always knew, but forgot. He reminded me of the of love He has for me. He reminded me how He cherishes every moment I spend with Him. He reminded me of how He gives me every bit of His attention when the world is too busy to do so. He reminded me of how excited I get when Caleb smiles at me and how God gets the same way when we look up at heaven and smile at Him and thank Him for all that He's done for us. He reminded me of His gentle spirit, how He is not forceful on us, but He sits and waits for us to come meet with Him. He loves having a relationship with us.
Just amazing...God is truly amazing. Although I have always known these things about God, I needed to be reminded today. I'm not sure why I needed to be reminded of this, but God knows me better than I know myself, so I will just meditate on what He showed me.
I thank God today for His greatness, His mercy, and His unending love. My prayer today is that I do a good job in God's eyes and that I am doing what He wants me to be doing.
AMEN
Anyway, I thanked God over and over and I continued to rock out to my Hillsong CD. I sang the words like I truly meant them. Then, God revealed to me something I always knew, but forgot. He reminded me of the of love He has for me. He reminded me how He cherishes every moment I spend with Him. He reminded me of how He gives me every bit of His attention when the world is too busy to do so. He reminded me of how excited I get when Caleb smiles at me and how God gets the same way when we look up at heaven and smile at Him and thank Him for all that He's done for us. He reminded me of His gentle spirit, how He is not forceful on us, but He sits and waits for us to come meet with Him. He loves having a relationship with us.
Just amazing...God is truly amazing. Although I have always known these things about God, I needed to be reminded today. I'm not sure why I needed to be reminded of this, but God knows me better than I know myself, so I will just meditate on what He showed me.
I thank God today for His greatness, His mercy, and His unending love. My prayer today is that I do a good job in God's eyes and that I am doing what He wants me to be doing.
AMEN
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Put on the full armor of God!
As I begin writing this, I have no idea what to title it. I have several titles running through my mind, but I can't pick just one. Sometimes I write my blog, then title it (many accomplished authors do the same). I guess I will have to find some inspiration by my blog then I will title this one.
Disclaimer: this is an intense post. It might strike you as weird if you aren't used to Christian jargon or spiritual warfare. You've been warned ;)
Ok so lately life has been tough, in many aspects. Having a baby is like nothing I've ever experienced. Being married is tough at times since I've never had to care about anyone but myself. Here I am now, caring for a baby and a husband AND a house. It can get overwhelming. Not to mention the many physical, emotional, and spiritual attacks that have plagued my days. The physical and emotional attacks really don't matter in this world so I will spare the details. Besides, the spiritual attacks have been much worse and are probably the leading cause of the physical and emotional attacks.
Yes, I am talking about spiritual warfare. If you don't know what it is, check it out because its very real and it sucks. It's like fighting a battle with your thoughts (for me at least). I've heard people say that if we could see what goes on in the spirit realm, we would be VERY scared because apparently there are spiritual battles going on all around us every day. I just imagine angels and demons fighting in the sky. Could you imagine seeing that?! Good thing we can't! If you find that hard to believe just read Daniel 10:12-14. Daniel fasted for 21 days waiting for a vision from God. The reason he had to wait 21 days was because the angel that was to give him the message was fighting a spiritual battle against the demons and could not get to him. If you think that sounds nuts, you are not alone because as I write it, it's hard for me to believe, but it's true.
Anyhoo, I feel like I have been under unreal spiritual attack. I have always had issues with fear. I'm a scaredy cat and I am not afraid to admit it! LOL But seriously, I have fear issues. Most of the time, I am able to control it, but lately it has been so bad that it has been uncontrollable. Sometimes its so bad that I can literally feel the fear covering my entire body. It overwhelms my entire being. And let me tell you, it flipping sucks! Ugh, sometimes I lie awake and just wait for something bad to happen. My heart races and I just sit in fear until I talk myself out of being afraid. Of course I pray, but sometimes the fear is so bad that praying doesn't help. I ask God to help me, but I let the fear overtake my body so much, that a simple prayer doesn't help. Clearly, Satan knows this is my weakness and clearly, he uses this to mess up my day. And lately he has been using it to make me think God isn't there to help me. But, Cmon, I know better.
Where am I going with this? This morning I opened my Smith Wigglesworth devotional book (love that thing). And what is it about? Having Power over Satan! Hahahahahaha does God know what I need to hear or does God know what I need to hear?! LOL Unbelievable!
The verse that goes with it?! Ephesians 6:10-11 "Finally be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand." Preach.
Interestingly enough, I had this verse underlined in my bible. God must have shown this to me before, I just can't remember when or why. It doesn't matter though because He has shown it to me again for a reason. (end random thought).
What I find interesting about this verse is that it repeats itself. "Put on the full armor of God" is written twice, once in verse 11 and then again in verse 13. If you know anything about politics, to get a point across, politicians use repetition (recently, Obama was trying to get a bill passed...I think it was the latest Job Act..anyway, when he was trying to get the vote, he said 'we have to pass this bill' like 19459475 times). Clearly, Paul was trying to get a point across and that point was to put on the full armor or God. What is the full armor of God? Go read Ephesian 6! ;)
A few things Wigglesworth ends the devotional with: "If you try to join up with two things - the Lord and the devil - the devil will get you in the end. Allow Christ to be the Lord of your life." How appropriate for the lukewarm church of this day.
He also leaves with the thought for the day: "You are not going to oppose devils if you cannot master yourself, because you will soon find the devils to be bigger than yourself."
Disclaimer: this is an intense post. It might strike you as weird if you aren't used to Christian jargon or spiritual warfare. You've been warned ;)
Ok so lately life has been tough, in many aspects. Having a baby is like nothing I've ever experienced. Being married is tough at times since I've never had to care about anyone but myself. Here I am now, caring for a baby and a husband AND a house. It can get overwhelming. Not to mention the many physical, emotional, and spiritual attacks that have plagued my days. The physical and emotional attacks really don't matter in this world so I will spare the details. Besides, the spiritual attacks have been much worse and are probably the leading cause of the physical and emotional attacks.
Yes, I am talking about spiritual warfare. If you don't know what it is, check it out because its very real and it sucks. It's like fighting a battle with your thoughts (for me at least). I've heard people say that if we could see what goes on in the spirit realm, we would be VERY scared because apparently there are spiritual battles going on all around us every day. I just imagine angels and demons fighting in the sky. Could you imagine seeing that?! Good thing we can't! If you find that hard to believe just read Daniel 10:12-14. Daniel fasted for 21 days waiting for a vision from God. The reason he had to wait 21 days was because the angel that was to give him the message was fighting a spiritual battle against the demons and could not get to him. If you think that sounds nuts, you are not alone because as I write it, it's hard for me to believe, but it's true.
Anyhoo, I feel like I have been under unreal spiritual attack. I have always had issues with fear. I'm a scaredy cat and I am not afraid to admit it! LOL But seriously, I have fear issues. Most of the time, I am able to control it, but lately it has been so bad that it has been uncontrollable. Sometimes its so bad that I can literally feel the fear covering my entire body. It overwhelms my entire being. And let me tell you, it flipping sucks! Ugh, sometimes I lie awake and just wait for something bad to happen. My heart races and I just sit in fear until I talk myself out of being afraid. Of course I pray, but sometimes the fear is so bad that praying doesn't help. I ask God to help me, but I let the fear overtake my body so much, that a simple prayer doesn't help. Clearly, Satan knows this is my weakness and clearly, he uses this to mess up my day. And lately he has been using it to make me think God isn't there to help me. But, Cmon, I know better.
Where am I going with this? This morning I opened my Smith Wigglesworth devotional book (love that thing). And what is it about? Having Power over Satan! Hahahahahaha does God know what I need to hear or does God know what I need to hear?! LOL Unbelievable!
The verse that goes with it?! Ephesians 6:10-11 "Finally be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand." Preach.
Interestingly enough, I had this verse underlined in my bible. God must have shown this to me before, I just can't remember when or why. It doesn't matter though because He has shown it to me again for a reason. (end random thought).
What I find interesting about this verse is that it repeats itself. "Put on the full armor of God" is written twice, once in verse 11 and then again in verse 13. If you know anything about politics, to get a point across, politicians use repetition (recently, Obama was trying to get a bill passed...I think it was the latest Job Act..anyway, when he was trying to get the vote, he said 'we have to pass this bill' like 19459475 times). Clearly, Paul was trying to get a point across and that point was to put on the full armor or God. What is the full armor of God? Go read Ephesian 6! ;)
A few things Wigglesworth ends the devotional with: "If you try to join up with two things - the Lord and the devil - the devil will get you in the end. Allow Christ to be the Lord of your life." How appropriate for the lukewarm church of this day.
He also leaves with the thought for the day: "You are not going to oppose devils if you cannot master yourself, because you will soon find the devils to be bigger than yourself."
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Where did you meet Jesus today?
I met Jesus today on the treadmill, in my bedroom, while Caleb was sleeping, while listening to worship music, while watching the President on mute and it was the best moments of my day. God has continually broken me in a way that has made me want to get off my 'high horse.' I continually think I can handle life on my own, but God continually tells me and shows me I can't. Lately, things have happened that have been out of my control. I hate not being in control. I'm not a controlling person (at least I don't think I am), but I like to be in control of my surroundings and things (not people). God keeps showing me I cannot make it through this life without Him because He is the one that controls everything, not me.
Before I got on the treadmill, I listened to the President. He talked about the dying economy and the job market. I immediately thought about how we (Americans) are in such a bad way. Most of us are in a situation where we live pay check to pay check and if we missed one pay check, it would cripple us financially. I started to panic, but got on the treadmill anyway (my quiet time when Caleb is sleeping, is precious and short). I thought about how we'll never be able to sell our condo, how we will continue to live pay check to pay check and how things just kinda suck these days as far as money is concerned.
I turned on my Ipod and hit 'shuffle songs.' The first song that came on: 'O Praise Him' by David Crowder. I didn't know it at the time, but how appropriate. God was reminding me to praise him, even in the storm. One of my all time favorite verses, 'Though the fig tree fails to blossom, yet will I praise thee.' Next song, 'Shout to the Lord' by Lincoln Brewster. Another praise song! God has a funny way of doing things.
Then, it happened. God broke me. He reminded me of my sinful nature (God does this a lot and its awesome because it reminds me of how awesome He is and how awesome I'm not). I began to get teary eyed (yes, while running on the treadmill, LOL). I thanked God for his mercy and grace. I sucked, but He remained faithful to me....as is always the case lately.
I began to just thank God for everything He is. I apologized for not trusting Him, AGAIN. I told myself over and over I just need to trust Him, just like I had told myself 29779872 times before, but I still can't get it right.
Then, God spoke to me. I was thinking about how we have a huge hole in our ceiling because of a leak. I was worrying about it, letting it get me all worked up, when God revealed to me that I should lay my burdens at His feet. I'm not gonna lie, I had to wonder what He was going to do with ALL my burdens, because there are a lot. But this word played over and over in my head and I decided to just believe it and do it. So, as hard as it is to just hand over all my worries to God, I will do it. And I will trust Him just like He has been telling me to.
My walk with God isn't ever easy. When it does get easy, then I know I'm getting too comfortable.
Where did you meet Jesus today? Was it at a coffee shop reading your Bible? Was it while talking with a friend? Was it in the shower (Im not gonna lie, Jesus meets me in the shower a lot, LOL)?
Today, Jesus met me on the treadmill.
Before I got on the treadmill, I listened to the President. He talked about the dying economy and the job market. I immediately thought about how we (Americans) are in such a bad way. Most of us are in a situation where we live pay check to pay check and if we missed one pay check, it would cripple us financially. I started to panic, but got on the treadmill anyway (my quiet time when Caleb is sleeping, is precious and short). I thought about how we'll never be able to sell our condo, how we will continue to live pay check to pay check and how things just kinda suck these days as far as money is concerned.
I turned on my Ipod and hit 'shuffle songs.' The first song that came on: 'O Praise Him' by David Crowder. I didn't know it at the time, but how appropriate. God was reminding me to praise him, even in the storm. One of my all time favorite verses, 'Though the fig tree fails to blossom, yet will I praise thee.' Next song, 'Shout to the Lord' by Lincoln Brewster. Another praise song! God has a funny way of doing things.
Then, it happened. God broke me. He reminded me of my sinful nature (God does this a lot and its awesome because it reminds me of how awesome He is and how awesome I'm not). I began to get teary eyed (yes, while running on the treadmill, LOL). I thanked God for his mercy and grace. I sucked, but He remained faithful to me....as is always the case lately.
I began to just thank God for everything He is. I apologized for not trusting Him, AGAIN. I told myself over and over I just need to trust Him, just like I had told myself 29779872 times before, but I still can't get it right.
Then, God spoke to me. I was thinking about how we have a huge hole in our ceiling because of a leak. I was worrying about it, letting it get me all worked up, when God revealed to me that I should lay my burdens at His feet. I'm not gonna lie, I had to wonder what He was going to do with ALL my burdens, because there are a lot. But this word played over and over in my head and I decided to just believe it and do it. So, as hard as it is to just hand over all my worries to God, I will do it. And I will trust Him just like He has been telling me to.
My walk with God isn't ever easy. When it does get easy, then I know I'm getting too comfortable.
Where did you meet Jesus today? Was it at a coffee shop reading your Bible? Was it while talking with a friend? Was it in the shower (Im not gonna lie, Jesus meets me in the shower a lot, LOL)?
Today, Jesus met me on the treadmill.
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