The Badgered Hounds of Society

The Bible is the spirit filled word of God. Some of the stories would make Hollywood blush.

A key ingredient is the characters; many of whom were a lot like you and me.

The following are a few movie titles to go with some of the most notorious.

Adam and Eve: Hello Mother, Hello Father…

Cain and Abel: A Tale of two Brothers

Noah: How to Build a Ship

Moses: Fire Starter

Joseph: The Ultimate Betrayal

Solomon: A Man for all Seasons

David: The King’s Dilemma

Esther: The Favored Queen

John the Baptist: The Itinerant Preacher

Paul: The Menaced Missionary

Mother Mary: Ordinary Life: Extraordinary Woman

The sins range from betrayal to deception, murder and polygamy. Yet, this crowd of chosen ones of God had some important connections.

The inspiration of God was their livelihood, their driving force for good, the reason they were born. In the midst of a burning bush, pre-meditated death and the beheading of the forerunner to Christ, God was there. God showed up. God was in control.

Life for these elect was the fulfillment of Biblical history; preserving the lineage of Christ.

It just doesn’t get any better than that. No Hollywood movie could write a script comparable to the flood of all centuries or the richest and wisest man who ever lived.

My perception of these Biblical Kings, Queens and ship builder were set as examples for us.

Photo by Randy Harrison
http://www.pbase.com/jrandyh

Hard as that is to grasp, I find myself in many of their travels, dreams or a lover of all 2 and  4 legged creatures.

I can see myself on the ark with all those animals. Wonder if Noah had any Lysol?

Moses has always intrigued me. I relate to him as he told God he would not be a good deliverer. No desire here to deliver anything or anyone, but understand his position of
“Not me Lord, pick someone else.”

Esther was wise. Handpicked by God to become Queen to save the Jewish people, she still felt uneasy about her purpose. Who wouldn’t? Women were not respected. Sound familiar?

God instructed Joseph as a young man in a dream that one day his brothers would bow down to him. That went over well. Joseph knew God’s plan but did he know the suffering he would endure before it came to pass?

Joseph suffered heartbreaking betrayal at the hands of many who simply misunderstood him. He was sold, became a slave prisoner, was accused of adultery and subjected to vile and wicked treatment.

He never gave up. He stood with God and his promise for him. Ultimately his loyalty paid off placing him in the position of the 2^nd most powerful man in Egypt.

God saw the whole picture. Joseph was the key to saving the lineage of Abraham.

Deuteronomy 28:9, 10 “The Lord will establish you as his holy people, as he promised you on oath, if you keep the commands of the Lord your God and walk in obedience to him. ¹⁰ Then all the peoples on earth will see that you are called by the name of the Lord, and they will fear you.”

The lesson learned here is to wait on God to teach us how to conquer.

The force of intimidation is widespread today. These men and women of God learned over time demoralizing a bully requires only a slingshot.

God’s plan doesn’t change. As we walk with him, the coercion of those who desire to thwart our journey is stopped dead in their tracks. The appeal we display is a mighty contending warrior for Christ even in silence.

The badgered hounds of society are no match for the Holy Spirit. The Bible says,

Luke 21:15 “For I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict.”

In other words, your Philistines won’t know what really hit them.

http://theriverministries.net/2012/05/22/the-apostle-paul-part-1/

http://highlyfavored74.wordpress.com/2012/05/21/who-is-the-holy-spirit/

http://goldenbible.wordpress.com/2012/05/19/looking-to-christ/

http://highlyfavored74.wordpress.com/2012/05/22/serve-notice-to-satan-%e2%99%a5/

http://goldenbible.wordpress.com/2012/05/21/discipline/

Copyright at 2012 All Rights Reserved

Praise Report!

My dad is home and doing fine! Thanks be to God his surgery went very well. He is bruised with some soreness, but that is to be expected. Doctor told him only Tylenol for pain and a cool compress which he is using to reduce any swelling.

Once home he sat down at the dinner table and gobbled down a delicious hamburger my daughter had made! He was starving and there is nothing wrong with his appetite!  Remarkably, with all he has endured the last 2 years his appetite has been excellent.

I am overwhelmed with my blogger friends and how you have risen to the occasion to pray for my dad. God truly answered your prayers and I am so grateful to each one of you for your blessings upon him and my family.

God knew when he created this technology the benefits it would bring.  The support for each other is needed and such a great blessing.

Thank you all for your friendship, and your prayers. My dad is a result of how important prayer is and that it really works!

God bless you all!

Prayer Request

I am asking for prayer for my father. He is 86 having eyelid surgery tomorrow, Monday,  May 21. Some of his eyelashes will have to be removed also. He is a real trooper having had major surgery in 2010 and 2 other surgeries after that. He is a walking miracle.  He has already been through so much physically but God has been good to him.

Please pray the surgery will go well, that God will be the surgeon’s hands and the recovery will be quick and the pain manageable.

Thank you.

The Stuff Between Your Ears

Switch if off. Turn it off. Shut it down. And listen to God.

Our brains are overloaded. Our minds are being infiltrated with every possible thought imaginable. It is impossible in a society so technologically advanced to absorb the daily news, Wisteria Lane and government politics without losing some very important brain cells. And if that isn’t enough to enlist you to the local institution nothing will.

The enemy loves our busy minds. He uses them to his advantage. Unfortunately he knows more than we would like him to know. He knows what we like or dislike, our weaknesses and our fears. Worst of all is he is patient….his strategy is to take his time filling our loaded brains with lines like,

“You can’t do that. You aren’t skilled enough,” or “Go ahead. Jump in the fire. It won’t burn you.”

Hopefully jumping into a fire is an activity most of us would rather not do…but how often has he used other language to persuade us to believe him?

About 12 years ago I was a single parent, working and sick. The enemy is a coward. He used some of my sickest moments to fill my mind with deception, lies and vile falsehoods.

One night, lying in bed I heard the words, “You are going to die. Just give up. You will die and you ex-husband will get custody of your daughter.”

The devil was stupid. He should have known the one area that would keep me alive was my daughter.

At that moment I made up my mind I was going to get well and stay well because there was no way on God’s green earth I would let my ex-husband get custody of her. The devil’s words backfired on him reminding me of the one incentive to change my thinking.

God’s words are the opposite of the devil filled with love, hope and positive overtones. Positive thoughts give life, success and health.

The devil feeds us fabrications of fear, doubt, hate, and evil; anything to bring us down in despair, depression and even suicidal thoughts.

The key to determining the difference is God’s word. Learning his word expels evil. Using it, speaking it out loud will chase the enemy away. Avoid his negative, blurry, misrepresentations by not giving him a moment’s notice. Ignore him. Instead focus on God.

Have you noticed your thought patterns when you are tired? Have you sensed a shift from the positive to the negative? Have you thought certain thoughts and wondered, “Where did that come from?”

Be aware of what drops in your head. If it is distracting, dishonest or negative, don’t stay there. Renew your mind with God’s word; practice his positive outlook and believe it.

Romans 12:2 “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

This process takes time, effort and study, but well worth it. It is crucial to keep your focus on God allowing him to change your thinking.

Why? Our thinking affects everything we say, do, and how we act. Understand this is not learned over night. Don’t allow self-condemnation to set in which gives the enemy a foothold. Keep trying and trust God to teach you.

God reveals his character as we filter the evil out of our thinking leaving our minds free and clear to hear him. The importance of simplifying our lives increases the time we have to spend alone with God.

The devil hates it.

And God loves it.

http://samuelatgilgal.wordpress.com/2012/05/17/does-nature-reveal-god/

http://highlyfavored74.wordpress.com/2012/05/17/2430/

http://refusingtotiptoe.com/2012/05/17/the-four-minutes-that-renovated-my-walk-last-year/

http://thewayeverlasting.com/2012/05/17/question-why-shouldnt-i-worry/

Copyright @ 2012 All Rights Reserved

A Stroke of Genius or a Revelation?

This is Revelation day. Yes. I keep having them. Not sure what that means. Oh. It’s only by the grace of God I know anything!

As Joyce Meyer says, “I may not be where I want to be, but at least I am not where I was.”

So be it with me. I maybe haven’t arrived, but I left. Left what? Who I was. And many of you should be thankful.

I am not one who picks out favorite verses; usually. As a result of wishy- washiness, my inability to choose interferes. Basically, it has never been on my radar. What radar?

Lately God has impressed upon me a verse I never paid much attention to, so I know this is from God. Ignoring this verse never entered my beleaguered mind. Avoiding it was of no consequence as I had no real use for it; or so I thought.

Now I have a favorite. The epitome of life in totality. The reason for everything.

Matthew 28: 20 “Teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

God gives us an instruction in the first line. Now, obedience is not always so easy…..if you know what I mean. It certainly helps in following God!

The second sentence, “and surely I am with you always…..to the very end of the age.”

Yes that is it!

My brokenness pales in comparison to his presence.

My weak insecurities are strengthened knowing he is in the room with me.

My perception of his companionship 24/7 gives me a “Leap of Faith” to trust him for solutions no matter what the issue may be.

As I write this I feel his presence. Visions, prophecies, speaking in tongues, the gifts are so deeply wonderful;  but to live, each moment aware of him beside you is the Resurrected Cross of Jesus.

God will have to help me describe this.

You know it. Without a doubt you know he is always with you.

The awareness of his presence only shows up as you spend time alone with him. The Supernatural enlightenment breeds an inexplicable change.

Years ago, in my days of slight rebellion God showed up by sending me an angel which is a miraculous story in itself. At the time, my delayed comprehension of the angel never registered until I got home. Once it hit me, I had no doubt in my mind or heart, God had sent me an angel to rescue me.

God’s grace and mercy overshadowed my lack of desire for his presence. I admit I was awestruck that God would provide for me as he did when I deserved nothing but hell. To this day, I know the man who appeared before me was an angel sent by God.

What bothers me beyond my apostasy was I didn’t recognize the angel to begin with. I knew something was different; unique or unconventional about this guy and his arrival. The event predisposed what I now experience daily.

As for my newfound revelation of this verse, simplicity again takes precedence. The words have always been in the same place; the end of the book of Matthew. How many times have I uttered or heard “and I will always be with you.”

Like an “ah-ha” moment, or “rhema” the words jump off the page. Only these expressive words are a stroke of genius.

Walking or I like to use “sauntering” or “strolling” in the presence of God is the mercy-seat of Heaven on earth. You dwell. Abide. Perch. Crash. Park. Remain. Inhabit. Sojourn. Settle. Roost. Oh just go pitch a big tent.

You rest in a supernatural assurance of God’s consummate, unlimited, perfect favor.

And to think my stubborn, pig-headed heart has finally moved out-of-the-way enough for God to reveal his key to life for me in one sentence. A sentence written centuries before my grand entrance into this world was ever thought of!

God! You Rock!

http://goldenbible.wordpress.com/2012/05/09/living-sacrifices-2/

http://identitylovefaith.wordpress.com/2012/05/09/christianity-is-crazy/

http://samuelatgilgal.wordpress.com/2012/05/09/are-you-growing-in-holiness/

http://jennifershope.wordpress.com/2012/05/09/i-hope-youre-not-tired-of-james-yet-friends/

“Intellectuals solve problems. Geniuses prevent them. “  Albert Einstein

Photo by Randy Harrison
http://www.pbase.com/jrandyh

Rembrandt’s Cushion of Faith

If you’re like me the storms keep rolling in with the roar of thunder, some hail or even tornadoes. At least they come in different cases of attire and some don’t last too long. I wonder if they could have passed me by altogether or if maybe the enemy is running out of things to do with me. A breather would be nice.

The good news is I don’t get as bent out of shape as much as I use to. Credit there goes all to God because my yo-yo emotions are still learning the word “stability.”

This past Sunday, Dr. Condy Richardson, one of our Pastors gave an enlightening sermon from Mark 4. Remember the guys were in the boat and the storm was all around while Jesus slept? Yea, that one. The story reminds us how to sleep no matter what is going on around us. Sure! Easy!

Dr. Richardson used the painting below from Rembrandt:

As the painter painted his only seascape in 1633, he used Mark 4 as a reference to the miracle in the boat with Jesus.

If you look close and count the number of people in the boat, you will find there are 14 not 13. The twelve disciples and Jesus make 13. Rembrandt added one more person in the painting: himself. He added himself to the painting.

Why would he do that?

He knew about the storms of life himself?

Jesus calmed the storm so he felt that as he painted it?

He wanted to be like Jesus?

Dr. Richardson spoke on how when faith increases, fear decreases. He pointed out Mark 4:38 where it says Jesus slept on a cushion. In the boat. During a “squall.” ohhh……in other words if he can sleep on a cushion on a boat in the middle of a raging storm, we should follow his example.

I know this may sound strange, but recently I have understood this more than ever. The more time I spend alone in the presence of God, the stronger I feel. Lately it is as if my faith has become “tangible.” Almost as if I can touch it.

I have sensed this so strong I have asked God to make sure I keep it! The treasure I have been hunting was him, his presence.

Proverbs 2: 2-5 “turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding—
³ indeed, if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding,
⁴ and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure,
⁵ then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God.

 

Dr. Richardson gave us 3 ways to combat fear:

Ask for faith; let go of fear.

Trust God: he sees the big picture.

Remember how God has worked before in your life.

Once we let go of fear, faith moves in like a rushing wind. Once we realize how big our God is, problems begin to shrink.

The calming of God’s presence is power and steadfastness. The enemy thrives on the opposite; anger, frustration and upset.

As natural as breathing is the habit we can make of returning to his presence. When a disruption or unrest occurs, reach for the place of his presence where only calm and harmony exist.  Grab a nice soft cushion and stay…….

http://goldenbible.wordpress.com/2012/04/25/peters-progression/

http://iambecomingme.wordpress.com/2012/04/24/no-longer-afraid-poem/

http://rorybyrd.com/2012/04/25/365/

http://samuelatgilgal.wordpress.com/2012/04/25/there-is-mercy-in-the-wilderness/

Copyright @ 2012 All Rights Reserved

Shady, Lifeline Idiosyncrasies

Lifelines are necessary. Lifelines can be categorized through our parents, families, friends; maybe our pets? Ok….

We have to hold on to something. By nature some of us hold onto a lot more than others, (like my husband’s collections of collectibles) but I won’t expose those culprits.

Do we define ourselves by these lifelines? I have.

Heritage/ family history often shapes our existence. God created families so that must be a good thing? Well, yes and no.

A good family history is a blessing. Not so good may leave scarred, torn and pained descendants who wish they had another lifeline.

We don’t have to accept that which has crept into our blood that is rotten, soiled or needs fumigating. In fact, we should dispose of traits we find going against God’s word.

I wasn’t so sure I interpreted that to mean my family  imperfections may need tweaking? Or addressing? Or a complete overhaul!

Unfortunately the latter converted itself to the forefront of deliverance.

Well. Let me tell you something about God.

IF YOU DON’T WANT TO CHANGE, DON’T ASK GOD TO SHOW YOU HOW.

DON’T ASK GOD TO POINT OUT YOUR PROBLEMATIC FAMILY ISSUES.

Isaiah 40: 31 “Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.  They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”

Why? He will. He is faithful in all areas even the ones you don’t want him to be.

In fact God is so faithful, he gives overhauls for free!

I can vouch for this as his daily classrooms have been tedious, heart wrenching, oh so painful and embarrassing.

And to think I thought I had it all together. Ha! What a joke!

So, you ask, “how’d he teach you to unload evils, flaws, faults and shady, lifeline  idiosyncrasies?”

Well. He isn’t finished. We are still in class. The work seems infinite.

Categorically the grandest lesson I have learned had nothing to do with any negative, ancestral curses.

What started out, as a revolutionary, deep-rooted investigation of my war-wearied soul has turned into a long-lasting, thirst for his presence.

What I began as a marathon of ridding myself of  unsightly traits became an awakening of who I could be through him.

His presence grows while life hits you.

His presence creates a supernatural atmosphere surrounding you.

His presence is an all-encompassing, 24/7 offering of all he represents.

His presence flows like water through your veins like rain in a desert.

Isaiah 58:11 “The LORD will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land  and will strengthen your frame.
You will be like a well-watered garden,  like a spring whose waters never fail.”

His presence frames you with his character, personality and joy.

What I viewed as a boring, long-winded professor opting to drag me out of my lingering delirium has been the proverbial walk in the park; the light at the end of the tunnel.

What I presumed to be a dredge on my day is presently my highlight, food and lifeline.

As I learn who he is, I change. As I read his word, I gain knowledge and wisdom.

As I sit quietly before him, I just want more.

As I move forward in his faithfulness, mine flourishes.

Are you afraid of allowing God to have all of you?  Get over it.

It doesn’t matter who your family is or the generous doses of generational strongholds they may hand down.

God can stop them with you.

http://kellylevatino.com/2012/04/17/telling-god-no/

http://justmyfaithtalking.wordpress.com/2012/04/16/am-i-any-less-blessed/

http://mrkstevenson.wordpress.com/2012/04/16/brokenness-the-missing-link-to-holiness/

http://godlywomengettheblues.com/2012/04/15/hanging-on-the-edge/

Copyright @ 2012 All Rights Reserved

The Balancing Act of God

Ever feel like you are trapped in your own mistakes? Or life’s general coalition of adversity? What about that anonymous thing that hit you when you least expected it?

Given the state of mayhem surrounding us no matter what that may include, you are not forgotten. You are not alone. You can be free if you will allow God to show you how.

Cover of The Final Inquiry

A Christian movie called “The Final Inquiry” is based upon a Roman soldier who falls in love with an Israeli woman. Against all reasoning and culture barriers he fights for her life as she lay dying.  The Roman soldier, known as Tito Valerio Tauro, has a slave named Brixos played by Dolph Lundgren.

Tauro and Brixos were friends more than Master and slave. Tauro had treated him well over the years and Brixos being the strong support that he was protected his master at all costs.

The moment came as the two are alone in the desert, Tauro looks intently towards Brixos with a caring smile and informs him,

“ Brixos, The documents are complete and registered with the legal counsel. You are now a free man.”

Brixos  gazes back at him, smiling and replies calmly,

“Master, I have always been a free man.”

His love and loyalty to his master paid off. His long term devotion gave him his best friend. He never viewed his slavery as a prison but a positive culmination of who he was, and how he perceived himself in any given situation.

Another rather famous slave was Joseph. Talk about a guy who got up one morning on the wrong side of bed.

In an instant he became a slave, a lost child, forgotten but not forgotten. Transported by betrayal of his brothers, he ended up in the prisons of Egypt.

But Joseph knew his God with an unwavering allegiance giving him confidence and assurance God had a plan.

As I see it, Joseph never adopted slavery as his vocation or a life sentence. Imprisonment became his stepping stone to fame and fortune but never his petition.

If anyone lived years of imprisonment, it was his brothers. Doomed by their own betrayal of Joseph, the colossal  lie remained a habitual threat in their unhinged mental state.

Joseph maintained a balancing act of God. His freedom while enslaved depended on his understanding of God and his purposes.

Joseph obeyed the authority he was imprisoned by but God was always first in his life. As a result, God showered favor upon him  like “living water”  in a desert. Respected by all, Joseph became a quiet force to be reckoned with.

The balancing act requires faith, obedience, endurance, and patience.

Most, I would say acquire it as many lessons learned. Compile these components in a neat little area of your heart and allow your mind to reset itself. The Holy Spirit is a balancing pro mixing it all together.

1 Corinthians 10:13 “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted,he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.”

Prisons we create for ourselves or those forced upon us are no match for the miracle work of Jesus.

A Holy Spirit, heart set freedom only shows up as we balance life’s difficulties and hardships with greater answers God has waiting for us. It doesn’t matter what it is, God has a way out, a solution or a path acknowledging the light at the end of the tunnel. Experience has taught me this formula produces blessings that far outweigh our pain.

Once I found these golden nuggets of wisdom was the moment I understood,

“Master I have always been a free woman.”

http://mrkstevenson.wordpress.com/2012/04/14/dwell-in-me-and-i-will-dwell-in-you/

http://rebecaurora.wordpress.com/2012/04/14/14/

http://jesuscarriesme.com/2012/04/14/humility-is-the-power-to-restrain-your-power/

Copyright @ 2012 All Rights Reserved

God Gave me a Glimpse of the Future: An “Open Vision of Flowers”

Last fall we went on a short beach trip. Living about 2 hours from the coast is a dream come true for me. The trip is made on one main highway which navigates through small towns and in need of new construction. The old highway is a straight shot but with a number of speed traps. Decorated along the way are simple shops, a post office or two and country restaurants. If you are looking for a metropolis, you won’t find it here.

The back country trip is one I have made numerous times so the ride is now more familiar.  Due to this particular trip being a business conference for my husband we had to go in separate vehicles.

Friday morning around the middle of October 2011 driving on this lonesome trail alone I began to reflect on God’s creation and how unpretentious the livelihood remains.
All of a sudden I felt like I was having a dream while awake.  I realized I was experiencing an “Open Vision.”

The landscape is open wide for farming or raising cattle and even horses.

It was as if God highlighted certain dilapidated buildings, worn out homes or pieces of what use to be houses. Torn down fences with wood lying around, abandoned stores or wood sheds, and the brick fireplace where families most likely built a fire to keep warm.

As I slowed down the color around this loss of life had a yellowish hue. In the vision it smelled of death.

Evidences of fields where crops grew were empty and dead. It was evil. It was what was left of Satan’s destruction.

Words resounded in my ears saying “What you see here use to be a home where families worked to make a living and children playing outside. The abandoned stores and empty fields provided necessities while they attended the little church that no longer exists.”

Photo by Randy Harrison
http://www.pbase.com/jrandyh

Caught up in this vision God’s spirit was speaking to me, I noticed flowers. Beautiful, colorful flowers right in the middle of all of this ruined wreckage. The pattern continued as I crept down the road; flowers growing in the strangest spots but all surrounded by an undoing and extermination of what was life.

The vision became alive. Fathers were farming and planting their crops. Mother’s were hanging laundered clothes out to dry. Children were running and playing without a care in the world. Their faces smiled with joy and happiness. The flowers gave off scents of lilacs and roses. God’s love shed brilliance over everything in sight. It felt like love.

Photo By Randy Harrison
http://www.pbase.com/jrandyh

Watching this movie play out until the life faded away in the distance was once again replaced by the carnage of what use to be.

The inner voice of the Holy Spirit spoke to me.  “Destruction is not my Creation and will not remain. What I have revealed to you is what will be again.”

As quickly as the vision appeared it was gone just as fast. What seemed to be a long time was a few seconds. My car had barely moved.

At the time of this vision God gave me an instruction and a promise.

Instruction: God wants us to be like the flowers. Color our faith with his word so it grows high in the dense hatred of oppression, havoc and doom so much so the lost will see life instead of death. Good instead of evil; right instead of wrong. He wants us to stand out in the crowd of all that is bad and blossom for the kingdom of God.

Promise: For those who follow this instruction will reap abundance in every area of your life. Your futures will lack for nothing. Deuteronomy 28 will be your lifeline of blessings.

Since that day I have asked God to give me more insight into this vision. This is what I believe he has revealed to me.

He is shaking things up from the church to the government.

We are beginning a season of change for his people for good.

He is using that which appears to be evil for good even if it looks the opposite.

He is working behind the scenes in Middle Eastern countries bringing women and children to Christ in record numbers although you would never see it on the News.

God is getting ready for a political shocker. And then some.

You ask why now? Why speak of this now? Because God told me to.

Galatians 6:7-8: “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.”

Photo by Randy Harrison
http://www.pbase.com/jrandyh

http://proph101.wordpress.com/

http://media4lifeministries.com/2012/04/12/of-one-spirit-and-one-mind/

http://samuelatgilgal.wordpress.com/2012/04/12/our-glorious-god/

http://longingsend.com/2012/03/25/white-gloved-beauty/

Copyright @ 2012 All Rights Reserved

Throwing Life Jackets to Sitting Ducks

If there is one lesson I have learned well in life it is how to be alone. Use to be I always had to be around people. The approval and arena of their support seemed all important.

As I grew, circumstances placed me in the empty holes of life. Between this and that or here and there, independence became my friend even coming from a very large family.

Due to crisis, heartache and physical distance, learning the art of survival from a human standpoint wasn’t easy, but attainable. One’s strength of character, ability to manage the unmanageable and acting as if you have it all together are additions to the duration of standing alone.

The definition of being alone is “Being apart from others; solitary. Being without anyone or anything else; only. Separate.  Being without equal; unique. Without others: Without help.  Exclusively.

The process of being alone is not always welcomed. For some “aloneness” is thought of as a weakness or lack. One’s identity may get lost trying to find companionship out of desperation or a desire to be loved. Aloneness is equivalent to some as not being worthy.

How we view or perceive being alone makes all the difference in how we approach it. As with most things, being alone can be a negative or a positive. You have to decide but there are a few aids along the journey.

Discovering you have no choice may be one of the greatest incentives of the art of being alone. For instance:

After a divorce or a death you may find yourself living alone.

You go off to college and find you are only a number.

Your work environment is so large; your desk is in a maze of cubicles.

Being alone physically in some ways may be easier than standing alone mentally and emotionally or better yet spiritually.

If you are trying to follow Jesus, don’t be shocked when you find yourself in the middle of a pond like a sitting duck all by yourself. And sit you will do. Put your life jacket on before you swim to the middle of the pond; don’t wait until you are drowning to clean out the closet.

Standard universal life jacket Українська: Універсальний рятувальний жилет. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The life jacket being Jesus, his word and strength to help you stand on his declarations of faith to follow his will, no matter what, who, where, or why the world may be throwing you a millstone showing you the bottom of the pond.

Such times result in the persecution of being alone facing foes of deceit, betrayal and degradation.

Rival adversaries will line up with their claws of humiliation and dishonor to pummel you with discredits a mile long in an effort to debase your faith. Placing God first in your life will result in a perversion of attacks leaving you truly standing alone.

And it is in that focal point of spiritual “aloneness” God throws an extra life jacket as you hold onto his faithfulness to pull you out of the water.

Reaching the shoreline your long-awaited stance removes the heretics and Pharisees from their portals of disbelief.

For me, my walk of faith has reached a point of truly understanding what it means to hear and listen to God’s word and directions. I am far from mastering this learned lesson, but I do know this:

I would much rather be a sitting duck in the middle of a pond holding on to Jesus’ life jacket than roaming around out of the pond with heretics and Pharisees who choose to claim their ideological independence.

In general terms I could say, “I told you so,” but I won’t.

http://ofdustandkings.com/2012/04/10/rejected/

http://larrywho.wordpress.com/2012/04/10/if-you-build-it-he-will-come/

http://theriverministries.net/2012/04/10/sheep-goats-wolves-and-sheepdogs-part-2/

http://identitylovefaith.wordpress.com/2012/04/09/misa-clandestina-betrayal-and-redemption/

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