Acts 4- Courage

"The priests and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees came up to Peter and John while they were speaking to the people. 2 They were greatly disturbed because the apostles were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead. 3 They seized Peter and John, and because it was evening, they put them in jail until the next day. 4 But many who heard the message believed, and the number of men grew to about five thousand. 5 The next day the rulers, elders and teachers of the law met in Jerusalem. 6 Annas the high priest was there, and so were Caiaphas, John, Alexander and the other men of the high priest's family. 7 They had Peter and John brought before them and began to question them: "By what power or what name did you do this?" 8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: "Rulers and elders of the people! 9 If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a cripple and are asked how he was healed, 10 then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. 11 He is " 'the stone you builders rejected, which has become the capstone. ' 12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved." 13 When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus. 14 But since they could see the man who had been healed standing there with them, there was nothing they could say. 15 So they ordered them to withdraw from the Sanhedrin and then conferred together. 16 "What are we going to do with these men?" they asked. "Everybody living in Jerusalem knows they have done an outstanding miracle, and we cannot deny it. 17 But to stop this thing from spreading any further among the people, we must warn these men to speak no longer to anyone in this name." 18 Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. 19 But Peter and John replied, "Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God's sight to obey you rather than God. 20 For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard." 21 After further threats they let them go. They could not decide how to punish them, because all the people were praising God for what had happened." Acts 4:1-21


To have the courage of Peter and John...to have their faith...their strength and confidence in the Lord, completely trusting Him for healing and rescue even in a time of uncertainty. And because of the unwavering courage and faith they showed, lost were encouraged and brought to salvation. Makes you stop and think about your own courage and faith.
Do we really believe God will rescue us in our sufferings and persecution? Will He use our crisis to heal and save another? Does our life display He is our capstone which others have rejected? Are you astonishing anyone? According to the scripture, these are ordinary men-only speaking on what they had seen and heard-they could not help it! There were no universities to train and title these men. They were used by God by what they personally had seen and heard. No titles, no seminary degrees. Because of their devotion, love and committment, they could not help obeying God and there was no denying they followed Christ.
Faithfulness gave way to obedience which brought salvation to the many. God is so much bigger than we can imagine! He has power to save, heal, rescue, forgive.

"God give me the kind of courage to live a life in obedience of you regardless of circumstances and consequences, trusting that You will rescue me when all seems hopeless. Cast out my fears. Be my strength in my weakness so that others may see You and know You. Amen."

Blessing & Honor

Blessing and Honor (click to hear song from You Tube)

Thank You Jesus that when I feel like I cannot walk another step, You are there to carry me!

Show Me and Teach Me Lord- Psalm 25

"To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul; in You I trust, O my God. Do not let me be put to shame, nor let my enemies triumph over me. No one whose hope is in You will ever be put to shame, but they will be put to shame who are treacherous without excuse. Show me your ways, O Lord, teach me Your paths;
guide me in Your truth and teach me, for You are God my Savior, and my hope is in You all day long. Remember, O Lord,
Your great mercy and love, for they are from of old.
Remember not the sins of my youth and my rebellious ways; according to Your love remember me, for You are good, O Lord.
Good and upright is the Lord; therefore He instructs sinners in His ways. He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them His way. All the ways of the LORD are loving and faithful for those who keep the demands of His covenant. For the sake of Your name, O Lord, forgive my iniquity, though it is great.
Who, then, is the man that fears the Lord? He will instruct him in the way chosen for him. He will spend his days in prosperity, and his descendants will inherit the land.
The LORD confides in those who fear Him; He makes His covenant known to them. My eyes are ever on the Lord, for only He will release my feet from the snare. Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted. The troubles of my heart have multiplied; free me from my anguish. Look upon my affliction and my distress and take away all my sins. See how my enemies have increased and how fiercely they hate me! Guard my life and rescue me; let me not be put to shame, for I take refuge in You. May integrity and uprightness protect me, because my hope is in You." Psalm 25:1-21

AMEN!

Who Are You?

Being a more reflective type person, I find myself constantly digging deeper, looking for meaning in things-maybe sometimes to a fault, reading what may NOT be there (assuming). I believe nothing is by mistake or accident-yes, we make mistakes but God is all knowing and He has planned accordingly-Thank God! He sees where we are headed. What a patient and forgiving God we serve!

This has been a tough week in many ways, but I find myself incredibly thankful. Years ago, when the stress of life would overwhelm me, I would find myself closed up, shut down-much like a turtle who quickly retracts into the shell when danger is around. I didn't allow myself to be vulnerable. Wanting to represent the Lord as a faithful follower, who was always trusting, hoping, rejoicing even in the tough times, I didn't show or share my heart or thoughts with others.

Along our journey with God He is constantly pruning us to be more and more like Him, developing that trust and love. These past several years now, He certainly has been pruning and refining me!! I have had to really examine Who am I? What do I stand for? What will I not stand for? Is it okay to be weak or scared? Like a baby learning to take her first steps, I feel clumbsy. Learning how to get out from behind the shell involves trust, patience, honesty and love with self and others. I get nowhere if I stay in the shell. In this Room for one, it gets very lonely.

So, who are you? Are you willing to be someone you are not to please another? To fit in? Do you recognize your uniqueness? God made each one of us fearfully and wonderfully."I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, I know that full well." Psalm 139:14 He did not make a mistake with me or you! We are each designed for a specific purpose that only you can fill. Do you ever wish you could be a little more....(blank)...whatever yours is? Pretty, patient, confident, compassionate, trusting, joyful, creative, giving, wealthy, smarter, and on and on? None of us are perfect although I am confident there are those who would have no problem saying they are.

Not the case for the rest of us. I am probably the hardest critic of myself. Feel free to tell me what you think I have done wrong and it probably won't be a surprise to me. I am hard on myself-part of the low-self-esteem and the strive for perfectionism. ..old strive I might say with thanksgiving!! It's about Excellence now! Yeah!

The longer I walk with the Lord the more I understand Him and the more I understand Him, the more I learn about Him and the more I learn about Him I realize who He is and as I learn more of Who He is, I begin to see His heart and when I see His heart...there is healing and Love. It's glorious and beautiful. His heart bled for ours. His heart broke so that your heart and mine could be restored. Wow...that is love! Oh how He loves us.

So for me to try to be someone else, that would be going outside of His will for He created me to be me! There is always room for improvement and sanctification, refining and maturing so I am not saying there is no change; however I am careful to be true to who I am and not attempt to change me into something or someone I am not.

More than likely you know me personally, some longer than others. I wonder how you would describe me..scarey thought. Recently on Facebook, the status suggestion was to ask for 20 people to give a one word description of you and I thought wow-I could never do that! But it would be interesting at the same time. Wouldn't that be cool to get like a report card to know your progress. What kind of friend, wife, family member, Mom, etc you had been that month...fun but I am so glad that God's grace covers it all for me so I can live one day at a time just doing the best at being me that I can.

Who am I? Hmmm... Take a minute and ask this of yourself...Who are you? Are you the "You' God created you to be? Are you retracted in your shell, afraid of being "you" for fear of rejection or inadequancy in the eyes of others? Have you allowed the circumstances of your past to define who you are? Yes, they make up part of who we are, your life is your testimony, but have you allowed it to define you and keep you there in the circumstance? Have you fully admitted your hurts-those you have committed and those committed against you? Have you handed your heart over to your Loving Father to hug you and fill you in amazing grace?

Maybe you are thinking, I have made bad choices years ago or even just TODAY!!! How can God use me or accept me-I'm a mess?!? I don't know who I am anymore. I keep doing that which I do not want to do...how do I stop?

"Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:1-8

By His grace you are healed. Because of His Gift of Love thousands of years ago, you were redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ. If you recognize Him as your Lord, Redeemer and Father, ask for His grace to cover your sins and trust Him with your heart, then you will be on the right path to healing. You are forgiven. You have been made whole in Him. You are complete.

Change can happen overnight but sometimes change is a process. Your motives and your willingness makes a difference in the process. You know what, I am not going to wake up one day and decide to totally change who I am so that I am accepted by those I desire to please. The only person I am willing to change for is God! And He accepts me just as I am, the good and the bad, but He does desire for me to transform into His likeness, but still being the root of who He made me to be.

What if we each wore a t-shirt claiming "As Is". Wouldn't that take the pressure off trying to be something we are not? At the same time, not expecting other's to be that which they are not! Just complete acceptance of who we each are in Christ. WOW! I often tell my kids, Can't we just all get along? Recognizing the different ways we express our anger, our joy, our love. We are not cookie-cut by God. Every single person has specific and unique design and in the differences we are connected in the common bond of the Family of God. It takes our many parts to be the body. So where do you fit in? Are playing the role of "foot" when God made you a "hand?"
There are certain things I just am not and I will not pretend to be...if we do, will will be met with much frustration and failure.

So now, it is my focus to be who God wants, and I will not change the person I am but I will do this...I will try harder with God's help, to be a better friend to you, a better Wife to my husband, a better Mother to my kids, a stronger more faithful follower of Christ. May my attitudes, my motives, my emotions, my desires, my mind change to bring Him all glory and honor.

"Lord Jesus, thank You for Your patience and Your grace. Help me to be the woman after Your heart that You created me to be, fulfilling the plan assigned specificially for me-Michele. Guide each Believer in You to live fully in complete surrender to You. May we please You alone, living not for ourselves or the pleasing of others, but for You God, our strong tower, our Refuge and Strength. By Your spirit we ARE healed, forgiven yesterday, today and tomorrow. Thank You for reminding me that You have already been in my tomorrows as You go before me. I trust You. In Jesus Name which holds all power and strength, grace and love, Amen!!"

What do you hide behind?

It's not new shoes but new hair! I was born a blonde hair, blue-eyed girl but the older I got, the darker me hair got. It was pretty fun living a blonde life-many people joke about blondes not being smart, sensible and educated.... and I know, you already have a blonde joke, maybe three ready to tell. Believe me-I have heard them all!
The blonde persona was fun! I tried to go darker a few times over the years, usually coinciding with the hormone shifts after having babies each time-plus, who had the time to keep up with the roots!?! Plus, I thought the blonde color looked better but it may have been that I was just used to it. My sister let her hair grow out and it is a chestnut brown, very pretty but also very familair. I felt like a completely different person and would almost immediately highlight it back to blonder shades.
Recently, God showed me that I have also used the blonde persona to hide...part of the mask I wear. So for the past two months, I have gradually allowed my natural color to grow out and I low-lighted it every few weeks. Today, I am now a light brown, cinnamon color and I like it. It fits. New year, new me! There are still a few shades darker to go in here but I remind myself once again, "it's a process," and so is growing strong enough to take off our masks...one layer at a time! (Now...if God could just do something with my Italian nose?!? heehee)

God Bless You and may I just take a minute and say Thank You for allowing me into your heart through this blog. It has been a blessing to hear from you. I pray you will be encouraged and find yourself beginning a new journey with the Lord yourself! Michele

"Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer." Romans 12:12

Silent No More

"It's a process," I have to keep reminding myself. Why do I think that after more than 30 years of feeling second rate, not good enough, meek, intimidated and insignificant that with one swoop decision I will be able to run ahead and never slip back into those old defeating behaviors again? I guess old habits are comfortable ans easier sometimes than the new way might temporarily seem. Maybe it's like a new pair of shoes...you buy the new ones, toss the old ones, only to have blisters the next day from the new ones!!! "I'd rather have my old ones back!"

Breaking in the new things takes time-how much time? Well, however long God thinks you need. There be much more to it than what you see. God can use our physical to actually bring us around to emotional healing and our emotional healings can heal our physical, all of which affects us spiritually! Nothing is simply body- mind - OR spirit! It IS body, mind and spirit!!
What bad habits do you struggle with? Self-defeating thoughts? Anger? Fear and anxiety? Over eating? Smoking or drinking? Gossip or Slander? Unforgiveness towards others? Work or Shopaholic? Are you finally ready to toss them aside? Let's do it! You can do it!!

Experts say that to develop good habits you must be consistent, be patient-recognizing it takes time and you must be committed. If I am committed to change my "stinkin thinkin" (or any other negative habit in your life) as Joyce Meyers calls it, then I must be consistent and patient. I have to be patient with myself as I learn the "how to's" of making the changes needed; whether it be studying, joining a group of accountability, going to a Doctor (for physical) or Counselor (for emotional or spiritual), finding aid/help in the community. It takes TIME to research and gather information to make sure you are where God wants you. He will direct you exactly where you need to be. Don't run off ahead of Him to get that "quick fix." His timing is perfect and so are His ways. Settle down and be patient!
Once you know where to get started, put on those new shoes, toss the old ones and get ready to break in those soles. Sure, you may get blisters and ya might clump when you walk the first few times, but don't give up. Be consistent! Be patient! Just because it is uncomfortable and even painful at times, don't give up. If you need to find a walking buddy then ask God to get you one and He will! You do not have to do this alone!!
When we step out in faith, it isn't always easy. For me, I have found that I can have pain and joy at the same time, peace in the middle of a storm-weird huh? That's how it is with God-His power is amazing! He loves you and wants to give you life abundantly! He does not take pleasure in your pain. He will pour out His grace on you and you will be filled and you will be more than satisfied. He meets you right where you are!So be patient with yourself and wait for God's leading. And day after day, be consistent with the plan set before you. Trust God's perfect plan for you in this area of your life. Be committed and hopeful towards victory in the Name of Jesus! Claim the good things He has and will do for you. He is your Healer!
God has opened my eyes and shown me areas in my life that need to be tossed aside, one of which is the lie that I am insignificant and not good enough. I am getting there. I am being consistent and patient. I have to keep reminding myself it's a process.
As God continues to heal me and replace these lies with His truth, I am committed to breaking my silence and sharing my journey with others as God leads. God has given me the privilege of meeting some wonderful women who are also suffering in silence. Only because I shared my silence did they share theirs. How many of us are out there? I pray we would each be an instrument of encouragement to each other.
Won't you break your silence? God wants to restore you. It may not be easy but are you willing to take the chance that the God of the Universe, the Rock, the Redeemer, your Creator, your Loving Father...knows what He is doing..wants what is best for you? He holds your life in His hands. His grace and His love IS enough for ME and for YOU!
Thank You Jesus for saving me from me! AMEN!

"But He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me." II Corinthians 12:9

Do You Have the Best Tools?

Having the right tools makes all the difference! This week, I ventured into the unknown lumber department at Lowe's to purchase some wood to make a train table for my 3 year old. I obviously didn't have a clue what kind of wood I needed or exactly how much, so I sought out one who did! Mr. Victor was great-he knew how to take measurements and found me exactly what I needed for the project I had designed in my head. We enjoyed watching him cut it out for us and piece it together on the floor like a jigsaw puzzle.
I figured it would take maybe 30 minutes to carry it in and assemble it...wrong! I did have what I needed-sanding paper, nails, and a hammer. By hand, this took much longer than had I owned power tools-electric sander and electric nail-gun! It really didn't matter since this was our only project for the day and it also allowed the 3 and 4 year olds to lend a hand in the hammering. Plus, if I would have worked with wood before, I would probably been more efficient in figuring out how to clamp the wood so I could nail it together. I was an amateur but I was willing. I thought I was equipped and technically, I was, but it could have been better.
This is much like our relationship with the Lord. We say "Yes, Lord, I want You as my Savior and Father for all eternity. I choose to trust You, accepting the fact I was and am a sinner, and You bought me with Your blood on Calvary's cross. I am Yours." Then, we start our journey with Him as equipped as we think we need to be. We buy a bible, maybe some "Christian" books, change some bad habits, and learn to live this "Christian" life we have now committed to.
If we are not careful, we can become very overwhelmed and give up. As important as these things are, we can do even better.
I would suggest that you start with the very best equipment possible and learn one step, one "project" at a time. God is so gracious and He will not give you more than your heart, mind and spirit can handle. After walking many years as an Amateur Christian, buying all the "How To" books and following all the rules and disciplines of what is expected from a Believer, I have come to realize this past year that I wasn't accessing the best tools for my journey with the Lord.
It is not all the books, even though they can help. It is not following a list of rules, although they are there to help you; it's not all of the sermons you listen to or the amount of acts of service you do in the church or community. It's not all head knowledge and rituals..it's God and God alone that we need to be seeking out as our most valuable resource and tool.
You know what I have come to find out are the best tools...If I could have nothing less, I would have my bible, time and faithful, God loving and fearing Believers surrounding me. That's it. You can see on my shelf (right of website) there are some awesome books that are great tools that can guide you and teach you, but they should not be your primary tool. They are the hammer compared to the nail-gun of God Himself.

Bible: It is God's Living Word and every bit of it is true. It is effective and useful for anything you could possible face in this life...and after for that matter (of course, He doesn't disclose every single answer to us while we are here on earth, for he knows the times and the places for all things that He has called to order.) Whatever your struggle, situation, dilemma...He has an answer for you in His Word. If you want love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control, comfort, acceptance, forgiveness, guidance, hope...covering any area in your life, He is there! You will find it by reading His Word, believing it, and by faith, trusting it. If you trust Him, you will hand your heart, mind and soul over to Him for His purposes and according to Romans 8:28, it's all good! And Ephesians 3:20 He can do immeasurably more!
Time: It takes TIME to develop skills, including relationships. You cannot simply own the bible only to set it on your night stand and think that it will give you some sort of powers since you own it. You must take time to read it. When you read it, you are learning about God. You get to know Him by spending TIME with Him. Imagine your friends. If you meet someone and exchange phone numbers after a 30 minute conversation, how well do you know them? You might kinda know them but you have not spent enough time to develop any type of true relationship. Relationships take TIME! It may be coffee for 30 minutes every now and then, or a play date at the park for an hour, lunch once a month, emails...but over time you get to know each other and learn their heart, who they really are on the inside, not what they portray on the outside. Same with God, you can know of Him generally speaking, but each time that you devote to talking and listening to Him, reading and studying about Him, the more you get who He is, you learn His heart, and your love deepens, both to Him and from Him.
God-loving Believers: What a gift! You can see their fire and passion. They keep us motivated, encouraged, challenged, sharpened, accountable. On our weakest days they stand in the gap for us. In our celebrations, they rejoice and shout praise with you! This is a treasure to guard. You will know when God blesses you and crosses your path with a Brother or Sister because your spirit will be lifted! Their spirit connects with yours and you feel it inside your soul. Some will come for a season, others will stay for a lifetime. God knows exactly who we need and when.

My bible, my time and my Brother's and Sisters...the best of the best! God's Perfect tool-belt!

"Thank you Lord God for reminding me this week that if I would use the best tools for the job, it will be more efficient for what needs to get done. Lord, protect my time, open my heart to see You and hear You more clearly, deepen my understanding of who You are. I want to know You more. Light my fire bright so that I might light another's and guide them towards You.
May Your prefect will be done, may Your grace and love sustain me. Help me trust You more and more as I abandon my way for Yours. Your timing, Your purpose, Your way....nothing of me, but ALL of You Father God.
Bless those who You have graciously placed in my path, from years past till even now, who have encouraged me and loved me in the good times and the bad. Bless those who have also brought heart-ache into my life for those painful moments only caused me to run to You, the comforter of my heart AND soul.
Thank You Abba Father for You unconditional love! My Redeemer, Strength, Refuge, my Rock."