Sunday, June 26, 2011

Songs Of Deliverance

You are my hiding place; You shall preserve me from trouble; You shall surround me with songs of deliverance.  Selah
Psalm 32:7

First off, to the one person who has been told about this blog, I totally got the address wrong. Hopefully you found it through my profile. 

Now that that is taken cared of, let's move on. I have a friend who thinks I am odd. I have lots of other friends who think I am weird, but this particular friend calls me odd. I love her for that. She never harshes my squee, and always co-signs on my craziness. May you have that person in your world. And she can do that, because she's odd. I guess you could say we march to the beat of our own drum. As long as it lines up with God and doesn't cause others problems, we do what we do. 

A few years back, I sent an email about having a really annoying song in my head. And when she agreed that it was annoying, I told her I always have music going in my head. That was when I was first labelled odd. And most times I do. So when I first understood Psalms 32:7, I got what was going on. 

Many Christians sings songs of praise (probably off-key, like me), but for the right song to come in your mind right when you need it, that's God. I love Him for that. And truthfully, it's not always a gospel song. Like when I was going around singing "Name it/Claim it/Believe it," Janet Jackson's "What Have You Done For Me Lately" soon followed. Have you heard about God's sense of humor? I would get up with a song of praise, and it would stay with me all day. And when I was working in hostile situations, "Jesus Be A Fence" would come on in full force. 

Of course, it could just be me. I could truly be an odd person. But I happen to believe that when David said God surrounds me with songs of deliverance, well, doggone it, that is what is happening. And I thank Him for it. It tells me that I am not alone. It is that pure, unadulterated truth that He is there for me. And I need that, and I know others do as well. 

I so understand wanting God to be like Harry Potter, and abracadabra, my problems are solved, but He does what He wants to do when He wants to and how He wants to do it. In the meantime, I get the reassurance. And think about it, wouldn't you rather have a song of deliverance than that annoying song? And if you have never experienced it, it's fun, insightful and can also be a warning. I truly believe there are no coincidences, so when it comes on, I toe the line.  

But if you find it odd that this happens to me, don't worry you are not alone. If it happens to you and you just never thought that there was a verse that backs you up, well, here you go. And you are not alone. We can be odd together.

Stay encouraged and blessed!

Sunday, June 19, 2011

Calm Down, Shut up, and Quit Trippin'

Know that the Lord, He is God; It is He who has made us and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of his pasture.
Psalm 100:3 NKJV

Back in 2002 or 2003, I received an email that made it all plain. I forwarded it, and at the beginning of each year, I would send it out again. I have not done so for a few years, but I felt the need to do it today. I have no idea who wrote it or when it first surfaced, but this is like the bible to me. UPDATE: I have learned it was written by someone named Tommy, so credit goes to him. (7/26/19) It is so plain and so simple. I, personally, have been like that for years. My bestest friends were the ones who were like me ninety percent of the time. Back then, our saying was either "Deal with it" or "Oh, well" or "It's not that serious." When this email came along, it illuminated things. Calm Down Shut Up and Quit Trippin' is what I tell and have told people. I seem to have forgotten that. Thank God for the Internet. If it is posted once, somebody somewhere has it. 

So many times we make situations more than they are due to our anxiety.

CALM DOWN! God has your life under control; He knows how to handle even the seemingly complex situation with ease.

SHUT UP! Stop having pity parties and talking about your business all the time; don't you know that the power of death and life is in the tongue! Stop speaking negative things into existence in your life and in others.

QUIT TRIPPIN'! When you look at your situations through your eyes, you often read more into the situation than what is there. It's not as bad as you think particularly if God is in your life; Stop over analyzing your life.

Be courageous

Fear is not of God. Have the courage to step out on faith and do the seemingly impossible. Start your own business; go into the ministry; apply for that promotion; anything that you've been afraid to do and you know that God has called you to do - JUST DO IT!

Have confidence

Philippians 4:13 - "I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me."
Remember, greater is He that's within you than he that's in the world. You have the power of the most High God working in you, and you have His Son steadily making intercession for you. You have nothing to worry about! Walk with your head up! You say you have low self-esteem; somebody told you that you'd never amount to anything; the devil is a liar! Know that you are somebody not because Jesus said it, but because you are a child of The King!

Walk in the VICTORY!

Romans 8:28 - "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose."
Does anything else need to be said?

The jury has been out and the verdict is in - YOU WIN!
In your finances - YOU WIN!
On your job - YOU WIN!
In your relationships (married, single, divorced, family, friends) - YOU WIN!!
In your health - YOU WIN!

God has already worked it out for you. It may not come the way you think it should come (or when you think it should), but remember - CALM DOWN, SHUT UP, AND QUIT TRIPPIN'!
He's working it out for "YOUR" good (in His time).
Do not ask the Lord to guide your footsteps, if you are not willing to move your feet.

Be Blessed TODAY!!

Tommy Last name still unknown

It blessed me back then, and it blesses me now. My aces might be gone, but God does have my back, and He certainly has yours. But that last part, "Do not ask the Lord to guide your footsteps, if you are not willing to move your feet," yeah that trips up a lot of folk. We all would pray and think that is the end of it. Nope. Now comes the lessons in patience, faith and wisdom. And sometimes new trials and new tribulations.

I have no idea where I am headed. Things that worked before are not working, but I have to have faith, and still strive forward. I have to do my part. Not each storm will fall under "Peace, be still." The storm you are in may fall under "Do You Trust Me?" Sometimes we want things to happen our way, but it never does. And especially if it is not God's way. Drop it. Let it go. If God has called you to something, do it. If you don't know, seek Him. And stand on His promises. Remember, calm down, shut up and quit trippin'!

Be encouraged and be blessed!

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Speak It!

. . . calleth those things which be not as though they were.
Romans 4:17b KJV

Now I kinda pooh-poohed "name it/claim it/believe it" but for me, for ME, it was the going around claiming husbands, and cars, and clothes, etc., that made me end up dropping the saying. But truth is, there is power in your words. You have to speak your faith.

Today, I was bored. To be specific, I am bored of the Internet. I could wander for hours around the Internet. No, not Facebook or Twitter. I see them for what they are so until I need them, I am not joining. The Internet is a great time suck. One minute, you are Googling something, the next thing you know, five hours have flew by. Ha. I'm probably just talking about me. Ignore that. You don't waste time like me. At a couple of sites I do hang on, I kinda let it be known that I was switching focus.

Blogging like this is work to me. And I also get paid to do Internet research. Just as in the past when I worked as an editor, I don't want to spend my off-time, wandering the Internet. (Yes, I'm getting somewhere.) After I said farewell Internets, I started thinking about what was the opposite of bored.

I Googled bored, and realized its opposite is excited. Then I started to text my friends, and was going to call today "Opposites Day." But then I remembered the "speak which are not as though they were." I've been really focusing on that. So, instead of calling it "Opposites Day," I went with "Speak Faith" time.

So I texted, "I'm rich. I'm healed. I'm excited!" I go to physical therapy three times a week. I start with exercising my body, and then I get pulled and tucked into all types of positions. I read my bible to exercise my spirit. Of course, my faith needs exercising. In Proverbs 18:21, it states "Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof. (KJV) You have the power to speak positive things to others, and positivity to yourself.

And truthfully, you owe it to yourself, especially if you hang around naysayers. When I was a teenager and young adult, I favored those teachers who were in my corner. I have no doubt that all of my teachers wanted me to get good grades, but there was a certain lot who wanted me to succeed. And you could tell because they took time to encourage me, and basically speak life and positive things to me. When my parents could not understand, my mentors did.

All of us can do that. And we should. But I digress. This is about speaking life to yourself. Actually, if you do it to yourself, it will be easy to do it to others. Let go of the stupid things you say in your mind: 'I'm stupid." "That was a dumb thing to say." "I just can't do it." "Man, it's too hard."

Sometimes you just need to make it simple and plain. "Keep at it." "You'll get it." "I am not afraid." "I am smart." "I am beautiful." "I am worthy." You may not feel it, but at least you are countering your negative thoughts and exercising your faith, not only for your benefit but also your faith in God. When you realize that God has given you everything you need, especially a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7), you will stop the negativity, and be what He sees you are.

And when it gets really rough, start quoting the scriptures. Remind yourself of God's promises, and what He thinks of you. You will succeed. You will be blessed.

Be encouraged and be blessed!

Sunday, June 12, 2011

Have You Forgotten?

And I said, "This is my anguish; But I will remember the years of the right hand of the Most High." I will remember the works of the Lord; Surely I will remember Your wonders of old.
Psalm 77: 10-11 NKJV

Bear with me as I get through these. A little background, if you will. Last week, I saw that my mother was reading a little pamphlet titled "When God Isn't Answering Your Prayer." It was an excerpt of Psalms: Folk Songs of Faith by Ray Steadman. When I first saw the title, I started hearing the lyrics: "you got to name it/claim it/believe it/(believe it and receive it)." And I shook my head. I couldn't believe that came in my mind. And I started thinking about all those sayings I got that were wild and crazy. When I first heard the song, "Faith Is" by Dottie Peoples, I was all over it. I was naming and claiming and believing God for all those desires and wants I so desperately "needed." I put "needed" in quotes, because I really didn't need it. Sure, they would have made life more bearable, but I could live without half of the stuff I wanted and desired. And when I learned the difference between what I wanted versus what I needed, naming and claiming came to a stand still. Especially after singing those lyrics one day, I plainly heard Janet Jackson's "What Have You Done For Me Lately." So, needless to say, I stopped naming and claiming. When it came back to me last week, I chuckled, because if it is taking forever and a day to get an answer to your prayer, it probably means no or wait. I'm just gonna be real. If you think I'm wrong, the comments box is below and we'll have a nice, godly discussion about it. I could probably learn something from you.

Last Sunday, I saw that my mother was done with the pamphlet, and passed it on to me. My money was real nonexistent, and my computer had some issues. I checked around, and saw that it would cost me too much to have it checked out and then fixed, so I switched to the other computer in the house: my mother's. Compared to my computer, my mother's is from the 1970s. You click on something, go take a shower, get dressed, and boom your Internet is finally up and running. I was doing paying work, and promised to work up to ten hours, so I would schedule around her. It was hard. Imagine my non-surprise when her Internet began to fail. I switched to working in the wee hours. And then the weekend hit, and her Internet was out. So, basically, no computer worked in the house.

I was crying out to God, praying, just bemoaning my own existence. When my mother wrote her note that she posted on the pamphlet, "Your problem is spiritual." My first thought was "Ya Think?!"  But I figured reading the pamphlet wouldn't hurt. And Mr. Stedman made the best pitch. He started out with prayer is not the first thing you do when you are in desperate need or I guess, any need. Oh, really? I was hooked. I kept reading. He covered Psalm 77, and sure enough, the writer of Psalm 77 was going through the same things as me. Minus, you know, the computer issues. I had just spent about three weeks, begging, pleading, and moaning and whining and complaining. And it is what a lot of us do. All of us have not arrived, so to speak, so we go here first. What, God, why? When, God, when? Yeah, we pray, but sometimes our prayers turn crying and accusing. Mr. Stedman kept his pitch up, and I was reading to find out what I was doing wrong. Did he make it plain? Yes and no. He didn't out and out say stop complaining, and whining, and murmuring and crying and pleading. He just said the writer of Psalm 77 was on the edge of the abyss and turned away. Say wha? For real? For really reals? I was beside myself.

See, I am not a fan of huge sales pitches. Can't stand them as a matter of fact. Tell me how much it is and I will let you know if I want it or not. I couldn't believe I got played like that. Bump that, I thought. I pulled out my phone, turned on my Bible app, and read Psalm 77. The writer spent several verses crying, pleading, wondering, and accusing. Then he stopped because he thought of all the things God had done for him. And isn't that what we do? Mr. Stedman went on and on about walking in unbelief, but when I read Psalm 77, I thought the writer had done what I did. I had forgotten. 

Yeah, sure, I'll give you that the situation may be new and tougher than the last one, but if He did it once, God will do it again. It seems to us that either situation is insurmountable or we can't understand why we are always going through or why the same things keep happening. I'll cover the cycling on another date. I knew my mother's service would come back, and I could explain to my boss what happened. So, I calmed down and read two books from Ted Dekker. By the way, you should check him out if you like Christian thrillers. As for my other issues, I remembered all of my "big and tough" issues and how God brought me out of those. I stopped murmuring and accusing, and set about doing what I could do. I worked my hours, and spoke with someone for free about my computer and purchased what I needed, and Bam! Here I am, back on my computer, writing this up. 

Like I always tell myself, "shut up and quit trippin." I began praising and thanking, and I just chilled on out. He is working on what we need, and what will bring Him glory. Sometimes we come out of a situation that everyone will know only God could have gotten you out. And then sometimes, it is so you can't say it was anybody or anything else. And when I say you, I don't mean the general you, I mean YOU! God is opening those doors and providing, and when He wants to bless, there is nothing and no one who can stop Him.

Stay Encouraged and Be Blessed!