What in the world could I possibly mean by that? Yes, we have all seen the signs that tell us there is danger up ahead or nearby, but sometimes the danger is right in front of us and we fail to realize it. We are used to looking about making sure to avoid any obvious sin that is around us and yet can fail to see the seemingly small thing right under our nose, right in our heart. We tend to want to sugarcoat these little sins and hope they go away on their own. (They won’t just for informational purposes.) Once we open the door a little to something it doesn’t take much for it to turn into something big. Our flesh wants to be satisfied.

We may think that at any moment we can just walk away, never do it/think it/see it again, but in my experience that doesn’t do much. We do well for a little while and then for whatever reason something is triggered and we find ourselves right back where we said we would not go again. Sounds a lot like Paul doesn’t it. Romans 7:15 “For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I.” Paul hated his sin nature, he hated the control it had on him. Even though he was a Christian he recognized that sin lurked in his heart and mind. He was not living a sinful life, he wasn’t going out looking for trouble to get into. He was a very moral man with a very real sin nature and his sin nature like ours wants what it wants.

Paul was not ignorant of where the sin came from. Paul recognized that sin and lust were there in his heart apart of his old nature, yet still very much able to rear their heads. His desire was to live a Holy life like that of Christ, yet even Paul had moments of failure, times when his old and new nature wared with one another. Paul knows he wants to act and do differently and probably most days he did, but like all of us our hearts are deceitful and sin can sneak in. Paul like us could not get his flesh to behave in the manner he wanted it to. Paul knew his body kept him from fully living the life that God requires of us. He could not fulfill the requirements of holiness and righteousness on his own.

We are to be holy and pure. We are to live righteous lives as Jesus did, but we don’t, we can not in and of ourselves. Our sin nature wants its way and there are times when we allow it to have its way. Even on our best days, we fall short. But here is the good news, God has provided the righteousness which we all lack and which he requires us to have. He also provided the means by which we can have it.

Romans 8 “Therefore there is now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, 4 that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.”

Hallelujah, we have a Savior, the Savior who can do in us what we cannot do in ourselves. We are not righteous, but he is and once he is living inside of us we have his righteousness inside of us, we have his Holy Spirit at work in us giving us everything we need to walk away from the “Danger Zone.” We can ask for His help to turn away, look away, walk away and He will give us what we need. We do not have to be a slave to our flesh any longer. Will the desire to sin ever leave us, probably not until we are home in heaven, but with the Holy Spirit power inside of us we can make the right choice if we simply ask him to help us.

Some people like the “Danger Zone.” They like having their feet firmly planted in heaven, in other words they know they are born-again, yet they still want to dangle their feet in wrong places. They are drawn to these things like a moth to a light. If we know we have a trigger, something that causes all sense to leave us and we parade ourselves down a dangerous path thinking we will quit at any time…we are fooling ourselves and playing with fire. Eventually, we will get burned. Many times God allows us to have our way, He waits for us to turn to him in sorrow and ask for forgiveness. We are powerless against the flesh if we do not employ the Spirit. When we keep ourselves away from the church and Christian fellowship and we refuse to read and pray we are setting ourselves up for failure. We become unaware of the “Danger Zone” signs we are passing and we find we have crossed the line.

Maybe you have found yourself in a place spiritually you never wanted to be, or physically dallying with some sin that you have glossed over and made yourself believe it isn’t that bad. Now is the time to lay it at the feet of Jesus, let him take your shame and sorrow. Ask for forgiveness, when you do he is faithful and just to forgive you and will cleanse you from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9

Isn’t that awesome! We do not have to live in constant condemnation. When we say “Lord, forgive me.” He does, and just like that, we are made right again. We may have a sin nature lurking about inside of us, but the Spirit of God in us is stronger than any sin that tries to bind us. Remember that!!

I was staring down into my empty coffee cup looking at the dry brown ring of coffee that had been left a little while before, it was already starting to dry on the bottom of my cup; I was wishing I could have more, the reality is that I could, I simply needed to get up and go pour more into my cup and enjoy. I needed to take action, if I wanted a new filling of coffee I needed to move from where I was at the table to the coffee pot, pick it up and pour it into my cup. To be honest I was feeling lazy wishing the coffee would just walk itself over and pour into my cup, oh well maybe someday someone will invent such a thing. LOL

As I was staring longingly into my cup I began thinking about how dry our spirits and hearts can become when we are not active in our pursuit of more of Jesus. We want the Lord to just drop nuggets of wisdom down deep into our hearts and souls without our ever having to do anything. No reading in his word, no prayer life, no church, no Christian fellowship to grow and learn with. Seriously, it is easier now to hear a good message from the Lord than ever. You can live-stream them, download them, hear them on the radio, have the Bible read to you through an audiobook etc.

We say we want more Jesus and then do nothing. He longs to come and sit with us, to teach us his commandments, to give his wisdom to us to help us in our walk through this troubled world. Yet, we are lazy, we want someone else to do it for us. Your relationship with Jesus is just that “YOURS.” It is a personal relationship, something between you and Jesus.

I took action finally, I realized the only way I was going to get coffee and make that slightly dry spot wet again was to move myself to the coffee pot, pour that hot liquid into my cup and enjoy the wonderful fragrance and taste. I was so glad I did, it smelled and tasted even better the second time around. And when I take the time to pray, to sit with Jesus in his word I always walk away with a new sense of closeness, a new settledness in my soul and a good taste in my heart of time well spent. New wisdom is poured into my dry and parched spirit and I am refreshed for a new day and new trials. I feel ready to give to others because I myself took time to nourish my soul. My dry spot has a fresh word on it and my heart feels lighter.

No one else can spend time with Jesus for you, Oh, they can pray for you and the Lord can work in your life even without your permission, but the growth comes from getting into his word, listening to it, praying and meditating on it, letting it seep deep down into your very marrow. That requires your action, your movement toward a closer relationship. Yes, you can be saved and stay a “baby Christian” your entire life, but why would you want to? I want to know Him in the fullness of His glory. I want to feel him in every breath and heartbeat I have. I want to be so close to Jesus that I can almost reach out and physically feel him near me. I cannot live a day without him, I just cannot!

As I gaze through the windows of the past and I see his hand at work in my messed up life and I know that it was He and He alone that brought me through those horribly long and dry places, I am brought to this place of hunger for more. I want to know who this God is that transforms even the lowest of the lows, the meanest of the mean, those so steep in sin they never give God a thought. Oh, I know He does it all, the calling, the saving, the filling, the moving, the growing…but when we take the time to go read, go pray, go spend time with him, the intimacy in your relationship with Jesus just goes to the next level. It is in those quiet times that He has your undivided attention that He waters your soul and wets your desert land.

Think of it this way, what would your relationships with your spouse, a friend, anyone look like if you never invested time alone with them? Would you even have a relationship?

I will leave you with these words from His word:

James 4:8 “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.”

2 Peter 318 “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.

2 Timothy 3:16 ” All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.”

Hebrews 4:12 “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”

John 1:1″ In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

Proverbs 8:17 “I love those who love me

and those who seek me find me.”

Psalm 119:105 “Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light to my path.”

Blessings on you as you pursue the Lord with your whole heart, mind, and soul and you grow in the wisdom and knowledge of our Lord. As you spend time alone with Him in prayer, as you seek Him, He will be found and you will be changed!!!

Jesus assures us in scripture that if we will just give him our hurts, and our wounds that he will bind them up. Psalm 147:3 “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” Doesn’t that sound like a great deal, we get to relieve ourselves of the pain of the broken heart and the wound and give them to him, he doesn’t just take them, he binds them up, heals them. What is binding? According to the dictionary, it means this: “a strong covering or an obligation that cannot be broken.”

I cannot tell you how many wounds I have had to go to Jesus about, sometimes I seem to go about the same one. Is Jesus like so many of us, He wants the matter gone and over with. Yes, and no I think. Yes in that He wants the wound to be bound up and the broken heart healed because he knows that if we continue to carry these burdens we cannot be whole. If we look too long at them and not enough at him, soon they are the idols we bow down to. He knows that we cannot make sense of the wounds that have been inflicted and we walk around with a confused heart and mind. And worse of all there are so many who walk around with unforgiveness in their hearts and all of these things rob us of our self-worth, but most importantly a right relationship and fruitful prayer life with the Lord.

On the other hand, I think no because Jesus is not like us in that He never tires of our coming to him and asking for help. When we realize that it just isn’t over for us, that our wounds are still seeping, Jesus longs for us to come and talk it over in prayer with him. He already knows the condition of our hearts and understands that for some the walk to forgiveness and overcoming is much longer. He won’t rush you.

Jesus tells us in Mark 11:24 “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” Believe that you have it. How often do we go to the Lord asking for help, healing, understanding, but we are not really sure we will receive those things?
Depending on how deep the wound could be the reason we are not sure he will help us; on the other hand, sometimes we are like toddlers and we do not want our dirty diaper changed. We have gotten used to the smell and discomfort and would rather not go through the process of changing.

The wounds that my dad left in my life and the wounds that were left by others guilty of the same thing were hard to let go of. I wanted my broken heart healed and my wounds bound, but at the same time, I wasn’t sure who I would be if I let it all go, would he just get a free pass? My grandmother was always guiding me and encouraging me to go to Jesus about whatever I needed to, to talk to him as I talked with her or a friend. I am a firm believer that we need to get alone with God, totally alone where we can pour out of hurts and hopes to him with a loud voice. Not because he cannot hear a quiet prayer, but often it helps to keep our minds focused and engaged. I can remember the prayer place I found and I talked over everything with Jesus it remains one of my fondest memories. I received so much healing in that field where I poured out my pain and allowed the Lord to heal me.

My grandmother did not know at that time the hurt I was going through, but being a strong woman of faith she encouraged me to seek God always in all things. I loved her so much and wanted so desperately to emulate what I saw in her life. She always had such peace and contentment and I wanted and needed that! Her face radiated with the love of the Lord.

God is a gentleman, he doesn’t just rip things out of our hearts. He allows us to come and lay our burdens down at the pace right for us. He certainly could, but he doesn’t. And although one person may seem to be moving along faster than you please do not worry about it, your time will come. As you seek him and you give him your broken heart and ask him to bind your wounds he begins the process. Sometimes there seems to be more pain involved as you go through the process of having your broken heart or your wounds bound, as you look the at the hurt with your heart wide open and without anything between you and God, the squeezing until all the pain runs out.

The most freeing thing you can ever do after surrendering your heart to the Lord and receiving salvation is to let him have all the hurt and pain you carry and allow his sweet Holy Spirit to bring your healing about; to drop forgiveness in your heart and move you from a wounded warrior to one who is fully whole and moving forward. Ask and He will be faithful to do it! Seek him and you will find him, forgive and you will be forgiven. God is waiting, will you give it to him today? I promise there has never been a baby sorry it had a clean fresh diaper on…you will not regret the letting go and binding up…let the healing begin my friends!

All of us at one time or another will run into a situation that will require us to either forgive and move on or hold tightly to our anger and let unforgiveness rule us. We often fill justified in our anger, a wrong was done to us and we deserve to be angry, it is our right! Funny thing is anger and unforgiveness often does not affect the other person, but it will ruin you. We all need to live with a forgiving heart, one that beats out forgiveness before it is even asked for because many times it is not. We have to make the decision beforehand to be forgiving, no matter what.

I feel like I have had millions of truckloads of circumstances come my way in my lifetime to learn how to forgive. Many of these lessons started very early in life. Being a person who has endured abuse from several, especially that of a close relative, my dad, I needed to learn early on how to forgive and move past the hurts. It is not easy I can tell you that.

My grandmother had no idea of the abuse I was enduring, but being the Godly woman she was she was always giving me life lessons hand in hand with Bible lessons. She loved to teach me about what God had to say about whatever I was talking about. I would often question her about whether or not it was okay to be mad at bad people. Was it okay if I did not like them and wanted them to go away? She very gently would give me a lesson on what the Bible had to say about forgiveness. She would quote these verses to me and several others while showing me where they were in the Bible.

Matthew 6:14 “For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you,” and Luke 6:37 “Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven,” and lastly Matthew 6:12 “And forgive our debts, as we forgive our debtors.”

She lived out what she said, daily, sacrificially. Her example helped to light my way as if God was shining a light down on the path I was to take. Even as a child I could understand how important forgiveness was. And I wanted to be like my grandmother. For me, she was what a true Christian looked like. She walked her talk.

One of my opportunity to forgive lessons came in the form of a jump. Yes, a jump. Here is what happened. Living out in the country in rural WV there was nothing around other than cow fields, hay fields, corn fields etc. You get the idea. Our fun came from what we could think up. One of the things we liked to do was to get up onto the roof of our one- story house and play.
Each of us taking turns to watch down the long valley for any sign of our dad coming home. If we saw him we were to sound the alarm, scurry down the ladder, run to put it back by the shed and scatter. Sounds easy enough right?

Well, on this particular day we had been playing like we were hiding up high away from Indians. I was not paying attention to the road off on another corner of the house playing my part. One of my brothers spotted our dad coming home and signaled the others to get down. I was not aware it was happening until I saw them running down below me with the ladder. Fear took hold of my heart, I knew he was coming and I knew I was going to be in big touble, I was sure to be switched or have the belt taken to me. It was going to hurt a lot!

As my dad drove in front of the house to get to the driveway on the side of the house I could see him looking at me. I felt sick to my stomach, this was not good. I was caught and there was no place to run and hide. He pulls up beside the house and comes walking to where I am staring down, feeling like crying. He asks me why I am up there. He asks me if I know I am not supposed to be up there. I am wondering why he is not yelling in his usual way. He was very calm, and that unnerved me. He proceeds to tell me that he is tired, he does not want to go get the ladder and I am to jump into his arms.

I asked him three times, do you promise to catch me. Yes, I will catch you was his calm answer every time. Finally, he says firmly ” I said to jump!”
I only hesitated a second later and I jumped with full abandon expecting to be caught. Well, you guessed it, He moved dropped his arms and I landed with a horribly hard thump. My legs buckled, my knees hit my chin, I fell backward in pain, feeling completely rattled. I was not sure I could get up and walk and all the while I am hearing him say this to me: “now, this will teach you two things, one, do not get on my roof again, two, never trust anyone!”

Tears stung my eyes, I felt so betrayed, how could he, why would he? And I was angry with myself for trusting him. I knew he would punish me, but this seemed too cruel. Well, I cannot say I forgave him right away, but over time I knew I had to, so I did what my grandmother had always said she did, I acted out my forgiveness toward him until my heart was fully able to do it. God honored my effort. He saw that I really wanted to forgive and his love helped move me to it. I knew his word said I must, so I moved in the direction and he met me on my way. Did my dad ever ask to be forgiven for that? No. We went about our days in this constant realm of pain and hurt.

I was not the only one he inflicted hurt on, it was given out to each of us in different ways. He was not a nice man at that time, un-saved and full of sin. He made no apologies for his actions. And even though I forgave him he did not seem to notice, but the one who mattered did notice. I kept praying for God to change my daddy, to save him so that he would go to heaven. God did just that! It took many years, a lot more hurts, but God answered and when he did the man he made in the place of the old was pretty great. All the things he never was and had never been was suddenly miraculously there.

When I think of all the times the Lord has forgiven me, his grace that covers all my sin; how could I not forgive another. I need forgiveness on a daily basis and He is faithful to give it and to cleanse me of all my unrighteousness. When you take away the offense and clearly see that someone is in need of Jesus, that sin has caused the problem, it makes forgiveness easier to give. You continue to love the sinner and hate the sin. But most importantly it pleases your Father in heaven, and that is everything! Be a forgiver, for yourself, and more importantly because God tells us to.

So, I leave you with this question: “Will you be a forgiver?” It is a choice only you can make.

Isn’t it wonderful when you get the opportunity to gather with dear friends and family? Sharing a meal, laughing, telling stories, just being together. It brings a sense of completeness, belonging to you.

I love to gather with others. I love the comfort of knowing I am not alone in this world. Even though at times the enemy tries to blind me and make me feel isolated and alone. Sometimes just a simple smile from a friend brings peace and comfort to me. Do you feel that way?

I want to be available to others. I want my life’s heartbeat to be that of someone who is willing to be moved from my comfortable self to go in the direction of a need. We as the body of Christ are to be helpers to one another. We are to love even in the hard places. When we come to Christ we give up our rights to be selfish, to be stingy, to be unkind and unloving. Or at least we should give those things away. What would we do if our Lord acted in those very unloving ways? How hurt would we be if when we called for help he simply was “too busy,” “too uninterested,” to help us?

Having a community, a Godly family is important to our very being. We were never meant to be alone, isolated self- absorbed. We as a joint community in Christ are able to love and do like no one else can. Even if you feel inadequate at times, trust me when I say that even the small things you do, the seemingly small ways you show love matters, especially to a heart in need of comfort.

It does not take but less than a second to offer someone a smile upon making eye contact with them. It takes very little time to express gratitude for a kindness or even good service you have received. We are representing our Lord and Savior daily. Even when we are unaware others are watching and listening to what we do and say.

Jesus was always available. Over and over again we can read where Jesus was surrounded by crowds. They were hungry to hear and he would teach them. In Matthew 13:1-3 we read about how the crowds gathered, and Jesus got into a boat to sit and teach them. In Mark 3:20 he was trying to eat, but the crowds came and he did not disappoint, he taught them.

Are you available? Are you willing to set self aside for the sake of another? We all need to be selfless, we all need to practice kindness; smiling at people we come in contact with. We should have a different look about us. And what I mean by that is this; if we are so full of Jesus, if he is our very heartbeat and we are desiring to be like him, His countenance should be on our faces. If you walk around looking angry and unapproachable, then people are not going to be drawn to Christ through you. Even if you say all the right things, they will turn-tell and run. Why? Because your walk and talk do not line up.

After Moses met with God on the mountain he looked different. Exodus 34:29 “When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the covenant law in his hands, he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the Lord.”

Do you look like you spend time with Jesus? Are you approachable?
One of the things I loved the most about my grandmother was her countanence,the kindness in her eyes and the ready smile on her lips for anyone and everyone. And I believe it was there because instead of focusing on self, or problems, she spent time with the Lord daily and he filled her to overflowing with himself and it could not help but spill over onto all who came near. I want to be that person, so full that it overflows to everyone who comes near. I want my life so full of Jesus that he cannot be missed by the casual passerby.

We all need to practice emulating our Lord. No kindness is too small. It matters in God’s economy, he sees even the smallest thing done in secret.
Matthew 6:4 “so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”

Blessings to you as you live out your Christ like life in practical ways.

Colossians 3:17 “And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

Most people work, some at jobs they get paid to do and others work hard at jobs they do not get paid to do, but if you are an adult you work every day in some capacity or at least most do. It can be anything from a homemaker to a CEO, to the top of the line, the President. Each person has tasks that need to be done in a day, each person’s task affects someone else in some way or another. Nothing is done for self, although at times it can feel that way.

It is not what you do, but how you do it. What is your attitude to your work? Who are you representing moment by moment in your work? If you are a believer, then it should be our Lord. People are watching you more than they are the non-believer I can assure you. They are just waiting for you to mess up and lose it. It is not the messing up that they particulary want to see, but how you handle it. Are you one of those people that lose their cool, maybe even throw about a bit of profanity? Maybe you have been talking to your non-believing coworkers about Christ and they are mulling it over, wondering, watching, waiting and then you lose it, throw a fit, say a few bad words etc. Well, all the talking in the world will not change someone’s opinion, we can talk until we are blue in the face, but how we live, how we react speaks volumes to them.

I cringe when I hear people say they are believers with one breath then turn and curse with the next. Yes, we all have a sin nature, we all mess up from time to time, I get it! However, should we not at all times remember who we are representing? Shouldn’t we at all times do “ALL” we do as unto the Lord, for his glory in a way that pleases him? No matter who else is watching, even if we are alone, God is “ALWAYS’ watching and listening. Do you grumble and complain all the time, are your actions that of someone frustrated and mad all the time? Do people that work for or with you dread speaking with you?

No one was ever afraid to approach Jesus. Think about it, he walked and talked and conducted himself in such a way that he was always approachable. He did not come across as being arrogant and above others, He did not get mad when people surrounded him and questioned him. He knew that He was representing His Father in heaven and how He did it was everything!

If you have a job, career, something you do either at home or in a public place then it is because God has put you there. You are an ambassador for Christ. An agent of the Most-High God and how you do your work and for whom you do it is everything! Even the lowliest of duties that people can do can be done with a joyful attitude as unto the Lord. Even a mother home with children, washing clothes and dishes day after day the same routine without co-worker conversation can choose to do it with joy and in a way that pleases the Lord, representing Jesus to her family in all she does.

We are not on this planet alive, still breathing, going about our business, our work for self. Yes, it benefits us, it gives us the money we need. It enables homes to run smoothly, but ultimately everything is to point to Christ. Maybe up until this point you have not had God on your mind when working, somehow you thought it was just for you and how you did it did not matter, but now you know it does. It is “NEVER’ too late to start over. You can go to the Lord and ask him to teach you His ways, how He wants you to conduct yourself and I promise He will. You can go back to work with Christ in the forefront of your thinking, and start making an impact for him in all you do, not with words, although sometimes those are important, but with actions.

Represent Him well in what you do. Whether it is family or professionally.
Go about your day with an attitude of joy, expecting God at every turn. Mom’s when you are folding what seems like the millionth load of laundry, offer up praise for it. When you CEO are speaking with employees, conducting meetings, do it in such a way that people notice there is something different about you. Let joy be evident in your face and voice, speak to people as equals and not in an arrogant way.

People respond to kindness, people all over the world are searching for that something that is missing, they have that hole in their souls that need to be filled, be the one who prepares the soil for the seed in word and action, God will do the rest! He will then send another to drop the seed in, another to water and so on. We all have a part to do. God does not need our help, but he enjoys when we are usable and He allows us to participate.

This is Labor Day 2018, a good day to purpose in our hearts to aim to please God when the workday starts back up tomorrow. Start doing it for the One who did it all for you, represent the Lord well!

God Bless!

Genesis 1:27 “So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.”

When you look in the mirror what do you see? Who do you see? Do you see all your failures penned across your face or some unkind comment that broke your heart? What labels are attached to you that makes the image of the one who created you seem obscure, faded, masked? It is no light thing to be made in the image of the God of this universe, the creator of all.

The enemy loves to tell us lies and to get our focus away from who we are. He wants us to look in the mirror and see all the “wrong” that we perceive is there, when we do it sets us up for failure, and even heartache sometimes.
If we stare at the wrong reflection long enough that is what motivates us and sets the heartbeat for our life.

I may have shared before about a comment that was made to me when I was younger, it was made in jest I was eventually told, but it still cut me to my core, mostly because the person who said it carried weight in my life, it was my mother. She was sitting at the counter in our kitchen one day and we were talking, I do not remember about what, but somewhere in the conversation she looked at me and said,” You will never look like anything,” and laughed. In her mind, she was looking at a kid who suffered from horrible allergies so I always had swollen eyes, red runny nose. I was a tomboy who had bruises faded and new all the time, tangled hair and probably dirt on me somewhere, so to her it meant nothing, but to me, oh my it sank deep into my heart and broke it. That comment became what I heard in my head every morning when I walked into the bathroom and it became my truth, my identity.

For thirty odd years every morning, while I was putting on my make-up and deciding what to wear that, played in my head and I decided nothing I did would make me look like anything good. I was flawed, never to be pretty, never to move past no good enough. I mean after all if your mother doesn’t think much of what you look like who would.

If anyone would compliment me I figured they were just taking pity and trying to be nice to me. When I walked it was with my head down, I did not want people to make eye contact with me. Now I am certainly not the most beautiful woman out there, and I am not the least either. I fall somewhere in the middle like most of us do. My husband thinks I am beautiful and that really is enough.

I believed that lie that had been planted in my head by the enemy. Stack that against the other lies about myself that I was trash, not good enough, damaged goods etc., and it makes for much insecurity. The need to try harder, yet never believing the truth, but only until I decided I hated that lie, the Holy Spirit was revealing to me that not only had bad things been said to me and done to me, I had made them who I was and forgotten that I was made in the image of God. I had him living inside of me making me new. My creator loved his creation, I looked just like he wanted me to.

When the realization of just how long I had walked in that untruth set in and the weight of carrying it finally felt like too much I knelt down in a prayer room in the mountains and I cried until my tears were gone, I surrendered all the hurt from abuse, cruel thoughtless words and I accepted the exchange God had for me. I believed who he said I was. I traded in my pain for his peace, love, and comfort. The words that had beaten me up every day no longer held any pain.

The next morning and every day since when I wake up and look in the mirror I hear, “you are mine, made in my image and dearly loved.” I can tell you that believing his truth changed everything for me. God formed me, loves me and calls me his own. I am the daughter of the King of King’s and Lord of Lord’s, created in his image for his purpose. Wow! Does it get any better, I think not!

Maybe you are struggling under the weight of hurtful words or labels that have been placed on you; he is waiting to take those away, to pull them off and place his label on you in their place. When we surrender our hurts and disappointments all we get in their place is peace, love, and contentment. I promise you won’t miss the old labels and the freedom you have and the lightness in Christ cannot be measured!

When I think of those words, like now writing this, I feel no pain, nothing but the love of God encouraging me to share in hopes of helping someone else through a similar hard place. If he brought you to it, he will see you through it and he will use it for your good and his glory, He always does!

It is a good reminder to us all that our words have weight to them. The power to hurt or build up. How will you use yours?

Proverbs 11:19 “Evil words destroy one’s friends; wise discernment rescues the godly.”

Colossians 4:6 “Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.”

Ephesians 4:29 “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”

Proverbs 15:4 “The soothing tongue is a tree of life, but a perverse tongue crushes the spirit.”

Proverbs 31:26 “She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue.”

Guard your words…they can wound deeply.

Proverbs 23:24″Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.”

My grandmother was one of the sweetest most humble people I have ever known. She had the ability to make anyone feel welcome and loved within just a few moments of meeting her. It did not matter if you were part of the family or friend or a new acquaintance. She loved people and her words were always pleasant.

She had this sweet smile that would spread across her face when she would see you and you were instantly enveloped into those soft warm arms. She would always say “hello honey, I am so glad to see you.” It did not matter if she was sick, or tired she always loved to talk to you and feed you.

Over the years there were many opportunities for her to have a bad word or two to say about some of the circumstances and people in our family, but she did not do it. She always made a point to try and keep her words pleasant, her comments kind. She did not do this to make herself look and sound good, she did it because she loved the Lord and pleasing him with her lips meant more than her opinion. She knew the damage that words can do to a soul.

Her words were always encouraging, funny, light-hearted, full of compassion and love. Everyone was treated with the same kind of actions and words. In other words, her walk matched her talk. If she found someone who was downcast, she would do her best to encourage them.

All too often we are very slack when it comes to even the tone of our voice. We can hurt someone simply by the way we answer them whether our intent is to do so or not. We are all too often very flippant with our words, throwing them around wreckless without respect for the hearers.

Proverbs 18:21 “The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.” We can either eat good fruit or bad fruit, but we will all eat. When you use your words to tear down someone in anger without any thought to how you will right the situation then you will most likely forever damage your relationship with that person in some way by what you said. I am sorry can be spoken, but a person can never un-hear what was said to them. Forgiveness can come, but that person is forever changed by what you said, or you are forever changed by someones unkind words to you.

I can remember so many of the pleasant conversations I had with my grandmother and to this day it is like a warm hug from her, encouraging me and giving me just enough confidence to keep marching on. I can also remember words that cut me to the core, words that altered my opinion of myself in a negative way and kept me in a bad place for a long time. The hurt and sting are gone, forgiveness has been given and everyone has moved on, and I do not think of them except when talking to someone about our words and how they wound. God healed that for me. It took a long time for the impact they had on me to go away.

Use your words to build up and not tear down. They should not be flaming arrows that tear and burn on impact. Instead, they should be like a warm hug full of love that evokes lightness and encouragement. There are times that our words are fun-loving, there are times when they are soft and reverent. There are also times when our words need to be firm, constructive or even disciplined, but even in those times, they can be kind and pleasant in their tone. Screaming at someone at the top of your lungs in a hateful way is not going to make them do anything, but it will hurt them deeply and if that is your aim, then…

Jesus was angry and probably loud in his tone when he found the temple being used in the wrong way, people buying and selling, He had a righteous anger and loudness and firmness were probably needed to be heard over the activities. And there are moments where righteous anger should be forceful, but most of the time we can instruct or criticize in a tender and kind way.

I am guilty. There have been too many times in my life that I was not careful with my words, I used them as weapons and it hurts me to think about it now. Those moments of sin have been washed away by the blood of Jesus, but I still know that I said them and it still makes me sad. I cannot take them back and I so desperately wish I could. Anyone else been there!

If you find yourself saying, Oh this is me, I do not weigh my words, I am not a person who encourages or is pleasant in your tone most of the time, well,
I think right now is a good time to repent before the Lord and start using words that are encouraging and pleasant and build up instead of tearing down. It is never too late to repent before the Lord and start fresh and new. He is the God of forgiveness, healing, and restoration. And if there is someone you need to say “I am sorry” to then do it. Do not waste time, we may only have today!

Can you remember a time or multiple times when you were so eager to see something as a child that you were on your tippy toe’s straining to see what was going on; or you were trying to lean in close and hear what was being said, fearful of missing out on something good and interesting? Maybe a tasty treat is being made and you want to watch the process, hoping for a little sample.

I can remember so many times when I was not quite tall enough to see up on the counter all the way and up on my toes I went, trying my best to see or when I wanted to tell an adult something and I would tug at their clothing until they leaned down and I could talk in their ears all the while standing on my toes. Sometimes if my husband is saying something to me I lean closer so I can hear him clearly and not miss what he is saying. Anyone else out there that can remember doing this, or maybe you still have little ones that tug at your clothes…I do, grandkids!

It seems we are eager to stand on our toes or lean in close so we do not miss the important or even seemingly important things here on this earth but do we stand on our toes or lean in to hear the voice of the Lord. To draw near to him and spend time just being with him? Listening so we don’t miss what he is saying to us?

Many times in scripture people were told to draw near; to come closer to the Lord. In James 4:8 we read: “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” And in Hebrews 4:16 “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

Do you need grace? Help? Answers? Comfort? Peace? More Hope? Do you long for the Lord to draw nearer to you? Longing to hear his tender voice? Then I and you need to stand on our spiritual toes and lean in close to hear him and when we do the God of heaven and earth comes close to us, he speaks to our spirits and gives us all those things we are longing for. He fills us with more of himself and when all that occurs the troubles and trials of life are not so earth-shaking. We receive what we need to see us through. We are drawn into a God hug with the Creator of the Universe. Does it get any better than that!!! I don’t think so!!!

Like a parent when God’s children come to him and stand on their “tippy toes” and lean as close as they can into him He leans down and places his ear close to our lips and He listens with great joy to what we have to say. And like a parent, He desires to give us those things we need to make us able to go and do those things He has called us to. He equips us for the days’ journey. Wherever we go we can be assured that He is with us and at any point in our day we can draw near and know beyond a shadow of a doubt that he is listening, helping, going before us all the while smiling at his child as we smile at our children or friends after sharing in the intimacy of sweet conversation and the sharing of hearts and hopes.

If you have not spent times on your “tippy toes,” “leaning in close” then today right now is a good time to start. Nothing is better than a good heart to heart with a dear friend or family…nothing is better than a heart to heart with the one who died for you…He waits…what will you do? If you get up on your toes, tug at his robe…he will bend down as we draw near…picture it, I am : )