Jesus With Skin On

When I was a little girl, mom and dad would tell me a bedtime story, pray with me and tuck me into bed... if I was lonely, or had trouble sleeping, or even woke up from a bad dream, I would wander over to parents room and ask to sleep in their bed. Nine times out of ten they would let me, and I would squeeze in between them and fall asleep peacefully  knowing I was surrounded by people I love and trust.

The occasional time I would want to be with them, but they were either super tired or comfy or wanted me to be okay to sleep on my own, mom would say something along the lines of, "Don't worry Amanda, you can sleep safely in your own bed, Jesus is with you..."

And this is true, He was with me, He is always with me (for those technical people, God in the form of the Holy Spirit is always with me)... and He's with you too! If you ask Him to be.

"It is the Lord who goes before you. 

He will be with you; 

he will not leave you or forsake you. 

Do not fear or be dismayed." 

Deuteronomy‬ ‭31:8‬ ‭ESV‬

"... And behold, 

I am with you always,

till the end of the age."

 -Jesus, Matthew 28:20 ESV

"Do not be afraid of them, 

for I am with you to deliver you, 

declares the Lord." 

Jeremiah‬ ‭1:8‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Going back to my story, when I didn't want to be "alone" even though I knew Jesus was with me, I would respond to my mom, "but I want Jesus with skin on!"

And don't we all... Yes, we have comfort in knowing the Advocate is with us at all times, we take comfort in knowing Jesus himself is interceeding for us at the right hand of the Father, and we have comfort in knowing we can go to God our Father at any time with anything because Jesus has made a way for us. 

But sometimes, we need each other. We may need a hug. Or to know someone will physically stand by us. Someone to hear us out and advice us audibly. God made us for relationship... We can all be Jesus with skin on.

Secrecy Sucks

I was very much debating on writing this one, since a lot of my current audience know me personally... however, I realized the goal is to bring us all closer to Jesus. Be encouraged.

~~~

Have you ever had to carry the weight of a secret? 

I have, but honestly,

who knew secrets could be so heavy. 

I've been reflecting on past and, sometimes current, relationships; and I've come to find that a lot of the relationships in which I have been most intimate, have been a secret to the people whom I truly love the most (aka mom and pop). Secrecy can be summed up as the action of keeping something hidden or unexplained or concealed from others. Speaking from my own personal experience, secrecy isn't the way to go because the truth always comes out. Plus I don't want to be in this cycle of secrecy anymore.  

At the end of the day, we're all accountable for ourselves in what we say or don't say, do or don't do, think or don't stop thinking. 

"And this is the message I will proclaim -- that the day is coming when God, through Christ Jesus, will judge everyone's secret life." Romans 2:16 NLT

And the best way to make sure we stay in check is through God's Word. But not only reading it, living it out too... which isn't always easy. But all things are possible with God.

"But be doers of the word, 

and not hearers only, 

deceiving yourselves." 

James 1:22 ESV 

For the word of God is living and [active], and sharper than any two-edged sword piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Hebrews 4:12 NKJV

Casting Crowns - Oh My Soul

I stumbled upon this song, and it has encouraged me tremendously, enjoy. Lyrics: 

Oh, my soul

Oh, how you worry
Oh, how you're weary, from fearing you lost control
This was the one thing, you didn't see coming
And no one would blame you, though
If you cried in private
If you tried to hide it away, so no one knows
No one will see, if you stop believing

Oh, my soul

You are not alone

There's a place where fear has to face the God you know

One more day, He will make a way

Let Him show you how, you can lay this down

'Cause you're not alone

Here and now
You can be honest
I won't try to promise that someday it all works out
'Cause this is the valley
And even now, He is breathing on your dry bones
And there will be dancing
There will be beauty where beauty was ash and stone
This much I know

Oh, my soul

You are not alone

There's a place where fear has to face the God you know

One more day, He will make a way

Let Him show you how, you can lay this down

I'm not strong enough 

I can't take anymore

You can lay it down, you can lay it down 

And my shipwrecked faith

Will never get me to shore

You can lay it down, you can lay it down 

Can He find me here?

Can He keep me from going under?

Oh, my soul

You are not alone

There's a place where fear has to face the God you know

One more day, He will make a way

Let Him show you how, you can lay this down

'Cause you're not alone

Oh my soul, you're not alone 

What is a joke, really...

Heads up, this post is more of a really short thought/rant. 

~~~ 

I honestly despise when people joke.

But what is a joke, really... Other than an excuse to lie, and mislead people who are trusting the garbage coming out of the month of the other person. What I mean by joke, in this case, is when someone tells you a story which isn't at all true - yet believable - but they don't say it's not true until they've convinced you that it is.

But I guess this is one of my downfalls, I trust too much.

Being a person of honesty and integrity, or at least this is my goal in everything I do, I expect others to at least have some of the same standards. In which, if someone asks you if you're joking, you would actually say "yes, i'm joking", and not carry on with the joke until your heart hurts.

"Do not let unwholesome [foul, profane, worthless, vulgar] words ever come out of your mouth, but only such speech as is good for building up others, according to the need and the occasion, so that it will be a blessing to those who hear [you speak]." 

Ephesians 4:29 AMP

I don't know why I've been blessed to face two of these scenarios in the last two weeks, but I guess I have to choose my friends more wisely or watch what I say. Because it makes me think about how I can impact those in conversation with me...

"Words kill, words give life; 

they're either poison or fruit - you choose."

Proverbs 18:21 MSG

Just Look Up

How tall are you?

... I'm thinking somewhere in the range of five to six feet? Some of you may exceed this height, while others just haven't been able to reach it. But don't worry this post isn't about genetics, but rather, perspective.

Perspective, as defined by google, is "a point of view". Sometimes our perspective on our problems prevents us from seeing the possibly for growth and positive change.

You see, last week, I was offered a promotion in my current line of work... I have been waiting two and a half years for this opportunity. That's over 912 days... which gave me plenty of time to think, "hmm, is this ever going to happen?"

In the recent weeks leading up to this change (which will officially take place in June) there was a verse which continually came to mind, it's found in Proverbs 13:22, and it says: "Hope deferred makes the heart sick..."

The problem may not be so obvious, but in my heart there were moments of doubt, dissatisfaction, and plenty of opportunities to grumble. My perspective was focused on the problem of feeling stuck with where I work(ed). But I made a choice to re-shift my perspective as many times as needed, by thanking God for my present circumstances, and reminding myself of all His promises.

And this past Sunday, a brother at church came up to me and started the conversation by saying, "Just look up..." (To be honest, I had selected the title for this post about a month ago but didn't know how to piece it together. But this moment on Sunday solidified the whole post.) He continued to say, "Keep your eyes on Jesus, seek what's He says about you (in His Word). The Word says He will never leave us or forsake us..."

So even in the moments where our problems seem too overwhelming, we just need to remember to take a second to look up.

"Do not remember the former things,

Nor consider the things of old.

Behold, I will do a new thing,

Now it shall spring forth;

Shall you not know it?

I will even make a road in the wilderness

And rivers in the desert."

Isaiah 43:18-19 NKJV

"The Lord will fight for you, you need only to be still."
Exodus 14:14 NIV