Come Into The Deep End... with ImHisServant (3)

jenrenee said:

Thank you so much!
I am keeping you in prayers as well!

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Thank you! I'm glad your prayers are with me!

Some fab news from me - one of my friends came over to see me with her baby today and she is showing a smidgen of faith in Jesus - beginning to consider him.

I'm so so happy about that. We've been friends since we were 11.



Maharg

Maharg said:

Thank you! I'm glad your prayers are with me!

Some fab news from me - one of my friends came over to see me with her baby today and she is showing a smidgen of faith in Jesus - beginning to consider him.

I'm so so happy about that. We've been friends since we were 11.



Maharg

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Fantastic! I'll keep you and her in my prayers! My previous church had a poster of a newborn that said: Sometimes It Takes Miracles for Them To Come To Him. How true that can be!

cristianna said:

Fantastic! I'll keep you and her in my prayers! My previous church had a poster of a newborn that said: Sometimes It Takes Miracles for Them To Come To Him. How true that can be!

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Thank you!

Her name's Lisa.

I saw the link to this thread in Cristianna's signature and decided to check it out. Thank you for the invitation.

Today's message was just what I needed. I am facing some difficulties right now and have been struggling to "solve" them myself.

Let go & let God!!!

hannahfievel said:

I'm so sorry I don't read in here often! But, everytime I remember too...I am blessed! Thank you all for encouraging words, prayers and the love that expounds from this thread! Love to all, hannah

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Oh Hannah! How lovely to see you. Please join us when you can.

rmw8855 said:

I saw the link to this thread in Cristianna's signature and decided to check it out. Thank you for the invitation.

Today's message was just what I needed. I am facing some difficulties right now and have been struggling to "solve" them myself.

Let go & let God!!!

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I'm glad this was a good read for you RMW! Sometimes it's too easy to try to control and manipulate things ourselves that we forget God is the one truly in control.

Praying they leave your hands and His take control easing your heart and soul.

Blessings to all of you!

August 24, 2007


Scars
By Karen Ehman


“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows." II Corinthians 1:3-5 (NIV)


Devotion:
I have an ugly scar on my left knee. I got it one cold, crisp afternoon when I was about ten years old. I fell while ice skating on a bumpy, makeshift pond in our front yard. The rough homemade ice caught my knee taking out a huge chunk of flesh. Blood began to soak through my torn snow pants as I sobbed and hobbled back home on my wobbly skates. Although it’s been over 30 years since that chilly and painful day, I still have a scar on my left knee. That, however, is not my only blemish. I have a matching scar on my right knee. It’s from sledding down a steep hill and crashing smack into a tree. Then there’s the round little scar on my forehead from the summer of 1978 when I had the chicken pox. If only I had believed that universal mother’s warning…”If you pick them, you will scar.”

Besides these physical scars from my past, I also have emotional wounds that run deep. They are painful memories of my youth, or seemingly healed wounds from wrong choices I’ve made. It’s easy to cover our physical scars and hide them from the outside world. We can buy over-the-counter gel that is supposed to make our flesh scars disappear; and plastic surgery can remove the more dire scars. But what do we do with our emotional scars?

After years of pretending they didn’t exist and making a concerted effort to conceal them from others, I came across today’s verse. What an awakening! The bumps and bruises I’ve experienced have become part of who I am. However ugly or painful they may be, they can be redeemed and even used by God. He doesn’t want me to ignore the scorched places in my heart and past. Nor does He want me to run from them. He wants to comfort me in the midst of them. Then, when I am able, He wants me to do the same for others.

It never ceases to amaze me how God constantly outsmarts Satan. While the enemy loves to trip us up and make us fall, God desires that we walk in a way that honors Him and makes His name known. Rather than letting the pains and wrong choices of our past defeat us, rendering us unfit for God’s service, God will make use of our mistakes and our less-than-perfect circumstances. He can take our willingness to open up about them, being real rather than plastic, to encourage a weary traveler along life’s journey. If we let Him, our forgiving and patient Lord will turn our ugly scars into beautiful stars!


Dear Lord, I admit that I have scars in my life. Rather than opting for a quick fix, I want desperately to let You heal my scars and cleanse my sin. Take my life and let it be something that is useful in Your kingdom. May others be warned by my mistakes and prompted to prayer by my decisions. Turn my scars to stars that will shine brightly for You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.


Reflections:
In your journal, list the events in your life that have been less-than-lovely. Look over the list. Are there events that still require action from you? Any confessions you need to make or someone’s forgiveness you should seek? Obey God’s promptings about these issues.

If you have any especially painful issues that you must deal with, don’t go it alone. Seek the advice of a trusted biblical counselor or godly mentor. Commit to making contact with such a person today.

Have you ever known a person who took a dire situation and, with God’s help, turned it around and made it a useful tool for His kingdom?

What would be the outcome if we chose not to confess our sins or talk about our scars?


Power Verses:
I John 1:8-10 “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.” (NIV)

Genesis 50:20 “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.” (NIV)

cristianna said:

Reflections:
In your journal, list the events in your life that have been less-than-lovely. Look over the list. Are there events that still require action from you? Any confessions you need to make or someone’s forgiveness you should seek? Obey God’s promptings about these issues.

If you have any especially painful issues that you must deal with, don’t go it alone. Seek the advice of a trusted biblical counselor or godly mentor. Commit to making contact with such a person today.

Have you ever known a person who took a dire situation and, with God’s help, turned it around and made it a useful tool for His kingdom?

What would be the outcome if we chose not to confess our sins or talk about our scars?

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I know I use alot of my real life experiences to help others-- and I've got one "glorious" showcase of them. Of course those experiences are painful, but they truly are "scars turned into stars".

If God has put me through it, then there's most definitely a reason. Many times the reasons remain unclear until years later, or even weeks later. But I've come to fully understand there's sincerely a reason for everything.

I think by not confessing our sins and not talking about painful and raw times we have caved and given the enemy a monumental foothold on ourselves. God does not want us pouring more salt into those wounds. The enemy wants that to keep us questioning in hopes of steering us away.

I pray all of you afflicted by painful pasts and presents give them to God and allow His hand in to rid the infection of emotions and start the healing through His suturing.

Hi cristianna,

I find this a difficult area. There was a painful period in my life, which lasted from the summer of 2003 till the end of 2004, the healing still taking place. Many awful things were done to me, and I did many awful things myself. The things that happened during that time often come back to mind whenever I am starting something new.

I've hadquite a few significant moments with God, where he has helped me to simultaneously receive his forgiveness and love and be able to forgive others, and have a real sense of love for them too. evry time I begin to look at that area of my life it is incredibly painful. It is almost like self-administering a medication which you know is going to be painful to take but which you know will result in bringing about your health.

Generally, the painful part is the decision to forgive or the decision to seek forgiveness. Afer this, God pours such blessing in that the weight is lifted and we are free.

There is one exception that I remember to this. This was when I was so distressed and so in the middle of everything that I couldn't even remember parts of what had happened to me and what I had done. It was like a massive part of my mind was closed off and I couldn't think straight at all. I had gone away to spend the weekend performing with a Christian choir and I could hardly interact with people. My friend's fiancé gave me what I needed, as a result of Christ working through him. He simply said 'What you need is a hug, isn't it?' and he simply held me. It must have been for quite a long time.

I had this amazing sense of unconditional love, greater than anything I had ever experienced in my entire life, and which can only have come from God. In other interactions around that time I felt a need to tell people what was happening to me and to justify my distance from others and difficulty interacting, but while I was being held it was though it didn't matter at all what I had done - I was loved completely. It was at this point that months of memories came flooding back to me, ever so clearly, as though the events were happening right then. I remembered how people had treated me, but at the same time, I had an amazing sense of God's love, which took the pain away. I instantly forgave them with no effort whatsoever. It was automatic in response to the love I was experiencing. Christ in me must have forgiven them, for I had no strength. Likewise, I remembered each thing I had done wrong - I was fully aware - no pretences or justifications. But the love cancelled out the shame. After then I began to get glimpes of the future and have an understanding of how God would use the decisions I had made and would make, even when they were wrong. You know, I think what I experienced was a taste of what will happen in heaven - the refiner's fire.

Forgiving others and being forgiven ourselves comes as a (super)natural consequence of our being loved by God. Although we have to make the decision to move towards it and to accept it, once we have we are truly blessed.

Maharg said:

Forgiving others and being forgiven ourselves comes as a (super)natural consequence of our being loved by God. Although we have to make the decision to move towards it and to accept it, once we have we are truly blessed.

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Everything you have written Maharg is so powerful and will truly benefit those who read it! I'm so sorry you have experienced something very traumatizing, but I know God was with you and continues to be. It's clearly evident.

everyone! Hope to be able to post more now that I am on more frequently! Missed you all! Thank you and God bless you Cristianna for keeping this awesome thread going!

Hi! Good to see you again!
I haven't been here much during the summer - hope to be back now the kids are back at school!
God blless you,sis!

woman.at.the.well said:

everyone! Hope to be able to post more now that I am on more frequently! Missed you all! Thank you and God bless you Cristianna for keeping this awesome thread going!

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Tight Hugs !!!!!!!

Hi

Hello everyone! I'm sorry I haven't been keeping this up-to-date the past week or so. I've let alot of things slip due to my schedule. I'm about to post today's, and hopefully have adapted to this craziness enabling me to post daily.

If anyone would like to post a devo on certain days just let us know!

Hugs and Blessings to All of you!

September 6, 2007

Table Talk
By Micca Campbell



“For the Lord God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9 (NKJ)


Devotion:
I have found that teaching my children about the presence of God in their lives has been a difficult thing. While there are signs giving evidence to the fact that God’s presence is all around us, we have to open our eyes to see Him. We must be alert to the presence of God and His work in us and around us. Otherwise, we will miss Him altogether and the blessings that God’s presence brings.

One way that I teach my children to notice God’s presence in their daily lives is by sharing His activity in mine. The meal table is a great place to talk about God with your children. Sometimes at the dinner table I will say, “Guess what God did today?” Then I will proceed in sharing my encounter with God. Other times, I try to help my children see God through what they have experienced. For example, if one of them notices it’s a beautiful day outside, I simply agree by adding, “Yes, God did create for us a beautiful day today.” When appropriate, I also share my failures with them and the lessons that I learned as well. Table talk about God is one great way to settle in our children’s hearts and minds that God is always with us.

One day, God confirmed in my heart that my children were not only learning about His daily activity in their lives, but they were beginning to see it for themselves.

It was a Wednesday night and my three kids and I were on our way to church. We were having a good time laughing and cutting up in the car. Instead of paying close attention to the curvy road, I was watching their smiling faces in the rear view mirror, unaware of the danger ahead. Suddenly, I looked up and saw a big truck coming at us head on. I immediately jerked the wheel to the right turning the car into a neighbor’s yard. The laughter that had filled the car was silenced while everyone was trying to catch his or her breath. From the back seat of the car, my daughter’s voice broke the hush as she exclaimed, “Thank you, Jesus, for being here to protecting us.” At that moment, we all became aware of God’s presence in the car and gave thanks, too.

While I was grateful for God’s protecting presence that day, I was also pleased to know that our table talk about God was becoming a reality in my children’s lives. What about you? Is God’s presence a reality in your life? Do you take time to notice His protection and provision each day? If so, in what ways are you making God visible to your children and others? Don’t miss out on God’s daily presence in your life—it’s really something to talk about!


Dear Lord, I find comfort in knowing that Your presence is always with me. Open my eyes so that I can see Your daily activity in my life. Then, give me the courage to share my encounters with others so that You may be visible to them as well, in Jesus’ Name, Amen.


Reflections:
Watch for God’s activity in your life. If you ask Him to do something, watch what happens next. It’s God at work in your life! Next, make God real to others by sharing your experiences with them.

What keeps you from seeing God’s presence in your life? Is it doubt, fear or sin?

If God promises to be with us always, then where can you go that He is not?

If you’re always in the presence of God, whether you acknowledge it or not, how can that affect your life?

What adjustments need to be made in order to make God’s presence a reality in your life?



Power Verses:
Psalm 139:7, “Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence?” (NKJ)

Acts 17:28, “'For in him we live and move and have our being.' As some of your own poets have said, 'We are his offspring.'” (NIV)

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

Devotion:
She walked into church on a dreary Sunday morning, her heart as dark as the gathering storm. She’d gotten into a fight with her husband just before leaving home, and in an angry, regrettable moment, stormed off without him. She found herself sitting alone, thinking she didn’t belong there.


He’d gotten laid off at work on Friday. No notice. No final paycheck. Just a “get your things and get going” announcement. He hadn’t told anyone yet; it was just too embarrassing. What was he going to do? How would he pay his rent? Were his employers right? Maybe he just couldn’t cut it. He’d come to church that day because there was nowhere else to go.


Look around you at any church service and you’ll see normal looking people. Their lives must be great, you think. They walk in with a smile and out with a smile. All the while, many of them are dying by increments on the inside. Despair, fear, anger, questions. Is this all there is? Does anybody care? Will someone love ME?


Our churches are filled with hurting people, carelessly tossed aside by someone during the week. Their hearts and minds reverberate with echoes of angry words spoken to them and unkind actions done to them. They walk into our churches and small groups with a filament of hope and a last-ditch prayer. What will they find?


Jesus saw beneath the surface of the plastic smiles, and stopped what He was doing to show people honor and respect. It wasn’t Jesus’ well-manicured conversations that did it; He didn’t seem to be a master of small talk. Reading about Jesus’ interactions with people, we find He got to the heart of the matter very quickly. Jesus’ compassion must have radiated from Him because it didn’t take long for people to open their pain-filled hearts. When they did, Jesus introduced God’s healing love.

What does this mean for us? Can we really love others like Jesus did? Can our churches and small groups reflect the life-altering community of God’s intent? Can we really make a difference to the “walking wounded” sitting next to us in church every week?


I think one of the ways we can get past surface relationships with others is found in Paul’s letter to the Romans, “Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves.” This passage calls us past the neighbor level, past the acquaintance level, past the “just friends” level, and up to familial devotion. It calls us to look at those around us and consider how we can honor them with our time and attention, as we would our brother or sister.


This isn’t easy in our busy lives. Yet this Scripture holds the promise of the creation of a loving family of believers here on earth - a family that values and honors each other. That sounds like a place I want to spend the rest of my life creating. I guess I’ll need to spend a little more time with the woman sitting next to me this Sunday.


Heavenly Father, I praise You and thank You for loving me just as I am. But I need help to love my Christian brothers and sisters just like they are. Examine me and show me areas that need Your attention. I long to have the heart of Christ for others. In Jesus name, Amen.


http://proverbs31.gospelcom.net/online/index.html

Reflections:
Commit this week at church to talk to someone you don’t know. This is a good first step to breaking down the unseen barriers that can exist between Christian brothers and sisters.


Why would God want us to love each other as brothers and sisters?


What keeps you from reaching out more to those who are hurting?


What changes can you make in your life so that you are able to love others as God would have you do?


Power Verses:
Mark 10:45, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” (NAS)


Galatians 6:2, “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” (NIV)


Romans 15: 5-6, “May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (NIV)