Ponder This…

If I had to use one word to describe her it would be meek. I’ve never met her. Never spoke to her. I don’t even know her name. But I know she is meek. She wears it like a garment. Not one thing about her said, “Notice me.” She came into the doctor’s office, signed in at the desk and gently slid into the chair across from me. She had white hair that was tightly permed into that traditional elderly hairdo. Perhaps one of her errands today was her weekly hair appointment to style the crown of white adorning her head for the upcoming week. It was after all Thursday. She had on those soft, thick soled shoes women her age wear. A simple blouse and cardigan rounded out her style. Nothing noticeable. That is, until she began to read.

Others around me grumbled at the wait and I too, began to wonder how long it would be before I was called back. However, she sat perfectly contented. She reached in her double-strapped handbag and pulled out a small book entitled, “Then Came Jesus”. It is so rare to see another member of my Christian family reading about our Father, in public. As her wrinkled and worn hands opened the book to where she had last finished reading, I noticed the book was worn. The yellow tinged pages seem to suggest this book may have been her companion for some years. Unlike today’s books, the cover wasn’t glossy. It didn’t look as if someone had shattered a prism all over the page. The colors were muted and unassuming, just like her.

My thoughts drifted for a bit to other things. Momma always said staring wasn’t nice, so maybe it would be best to people watch someone else for a while. But I couldn’t. I watched her read that book. In perfect peace she smiled as she read, as if she had found something within those pages that resonated deep within. As she read, she smiled, she nodded. I wondered what it was she was silently agreeing with. Was it how patient our Savior is? Was it that His love is unfailing? Was it that after all these years she could say wholeheartedly, “He’s never left my side. Just as He promised.”? It warmed my heart deeply, watching this old soul refreshed & renewed in front of my eyes as she read and remembered her Christ. Lord, may it be so with me.

From the serene simplicity in her eyes, I could tell that she probably loves Him more now than she ever has. And isn’t that the way it’s suppose to be? Our love for the Father and His Son, should grow with each passing year. Deepen with each and every trial. And widen, like the smile upon her face. After years of following Him there is still more to discover. She still wishes to read about Him, to study Him, to learn of Him. I couldn’t help but wonder: if I read that same book, right now in my thirties, would it  mean the same to me as it does to her at this stage of her life? Life seems to deepen and become richer as we age, if we allow it to. If we allow Him to. If that book has been a companion to her, then maybe she read it in her thirties. Maybe those smiles and nods were her acknowledgment that He was indeed Who He had claimed to be. But now she had a lifetime of evidence. Evidence earned with age, through love and trust. Maybe she was smiling at how He had turned so many of her darkest trials and deepest tragedies into something for her good or just plain something good. Something, beautiful.

Watching her reminded me of an old hymn that is one of my Daddy’s favorites. It was written by William Gaither in 1965. I have often seen my Dad sing this song. As he sings, something happens. He seems to drift to some transcendent place, where tears fill his eyes and he remembers his Christ in a way that is deeply loving and deeply grateful. Written from a life lived with Jesus, the chorus exclaims,

The longer I serve Him, the sweeter He grows,
The more that I love Him, more love He bestows;
Each day is like heaven, my heart overflows,
The longer I serve Him, the sweeter He grows.

Her face personified these words. A sweetness came over her countenance as she reflected on all the endless benefits of her sweet Savior. Their long friendship was evident. It was also inspiring in an most unexpected way.

We all long to do something magnificent with our lives, don’t we? If we are believers, we long to do something spectacular for Christ. To make a difference in the Kingdom. And yet, here this woman simply walked in an office, wearing the cloak of meekness and a countenance of joy and inspired my heart to love Him more. Perhaps it is in our moments when we think no one is watching that we make our greatest testament to His Power and Presence in our lives. “Then Came Jesus”, indeed.

“The way we continually talk about our own inability is an insult to our Creator. One individual life may be of priceless value to God’s purposes and yours may be that life.”
-Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest

Well, it hit us again, the flu. Only this time it’s topped off with a little bronchitis as well. Justin woke up this morning with a RAGING fever and chills. Austin had the flu last fall so I recognized the call sign. Off to our local clinic we went and sure enough it was confirmed. Justin is just now coming into the adult world of medicine. You know the day when you switch from medicine syrup to medicine tablets. Quite reluctantly I might add. Ahhh….the joys of motherhood. I too remember being his age, equally as freaked out, trying to swallow my first “pill”. I also remember, like Justin, chewing it to pieces rather than swallowing it. Yuck.

We’re about to move the mattress from his room into ours for the night. Why? Because I just cannot let my kids sleep alone at night when they have fevers. It’s just my thing. I have to get up, check their little (not so little anymore) heads for fever and if need be, medicate the poor things. I usually allow myself to sleep in the next day too. Just a little Momma perk for me after a sleepless night.

So, what kinds of little things do you do for your kids when they are sick? Maybe I’m missing out, or rather, they are missing out on some Momma love that hasn’t come to my mind.

And for you, what would you say is the hardest part of caring for a child who is under the weather? I mean other than the times when they throw up on you after they came in your room at night to tell you their tummy hurt. Or am I the only one that’s happened to?

Okay, send me your comments. My little guy may benefit from your ideas throughout the next week of …..yuck.

My niece just turned 18. It feels like I saw that precious little pink cap and rosy cheeks peeking out from underneath that blanket just yesterday. I wanted to give her something that cost me a lot, wisdom. So here are the top things I wish I would’ve known when I was her age, embarking on the rest of my life. Feel free to share your wisdom too. One can never have too much.

(in no particular order)

1- Other people’s opinions are just that. Other. People’s. Opinions.

2- Moisturize, moisturize, moisturize!

3- I am what I think, what I read and what I watch.

4- It is NEVER too early to start using wrinkle cream for your eyes. Start TODAY!

5- You teach others how to treat you.

6-Unforgiveness is like swallowing poison and expecting someone else to die.

7- It’s never too late to start again.

8- When someone shows you who they really are…believe them.-Maya Angelou

9- You have to experience God for yourself. -Ethleyn Anderson

10- Marriage is not a game. It’s really hard work. Selfishness and unforgiveness will kill love quicker than anything else. There is no such thing as Mr. Right or the Perfect Man.

11- Less is more.

12- You’ll never have a perfect body. It is an illusion. So be the healthiest version of you that you can be and leave it at that.

13- God can redeem any hurt, any loss and any sin at any time.

14- A friend loves at all times. Not some of the time and not at convenient times….ALL times.

15- Hold an orphan, feed a hungry child, pray over a teenage prostitute, comfort a dying mother, clothe a homeless person, tutor an underprivileged kid-anything- just do something at least once in your life that doesn’t benefit you personally in any way. Give without receiving. Stare human suffering in the face and let it change the way you see the world forever.

16- Stop asking people to be for you what only Jesus can be for you. He will never let someone take His place in your life.

17- He who covers up his disease cannot expect to be healed. - Ethiopian proverb

18- It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves. - Sir Edmund Hillary

19- Therapy can sometimes be the greatest gift you give yourself.

20-Jesus has done more to set women free than we could ever do for ourselves.

21- Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved. - Helen Keller

22- Be careful who you invite into your life. Seek out happy people.

23- There’s no such thing as perfect.

24- A person’s opinion of you has more to do with how they feel about themselves than what they think of you.

25- You are more normal than you think.

26- Your future husband will always come into your life when you least expect it.

27- It is absolutely impossible for you to change any one. Take people as they are or not at all.

28- Learn how to manage your own finances. Never depend on anyone else to do that for you.

29- You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with. -Jim Rohn

30- If you don’t release those who hurt you, you will begin to resemble them. - Rick Warren

31- In order for God to be mad at you, He would have to have had a previous expectation.

32- The glass is ALWAYS half full. Look again.

33- The notion that to desire our own good and earnestly to hope for the enjoyment of it is a bad thing …is no part of the Christian faith. It would seem that our Lord finds our desire, not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased. - C.S. Lewis

34- Reading makes you smarter, wiser and deeper.

35 – Living abroad matures you. You mature at a rate of about 5 years for every 2 years you are away.

36- Don’t let someone else’s fears become yours.

37- Today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday. Worry is the most worthless and impotent thing you can do with your life.

38- We are products of our past but we don’t have to be prisoners of it. -Rick Warren.

39- Always take the road less traveled.

40- People you love WILL let you down. But remember they are only humans and you too will let them down at some point.

41- Sex is sacred.

42- Satan has a plan for your life. God’s plan is SO much better. Learn to tell the difference.

43- No one can complete you. That’s God’s job.

44- Learn to say, “NO”. Use it often.

45- College: Better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it.

46- It’s not all about you. Never has been, never will be.

47- Never marry a man who let’s you boss him around. Twenty years from now you’ll despise him for it.

48- Take time to be alone every week or else you’ll wake up one day and want to take the next 10 years off.

49- Spanx is your friend.

50- You don’t just marry the man, you marry the family. Make sure you can live with both. (Living in another town though does make this easier.)

51- Things aren’t always as they seem. Don’t jump to conclusions.

52- Use sunscreen of at least 15 spf. You want to look 30 when you’re 40, not the other way around.

53- When you get that “weird” feeling around anyone or in any place, leave immediately. Never distrust your instincts.

54- You must do that which you think you cannot do. -Eleanor Roosevelt

It separates the women from the girls. - Aunt Amy

55- Travel, especially global travel is the greatest education you can give yourself.

56- Mommy-hood is 90% guts and 10% glory, but 100% worth it.

57- Learn to go shopping in your closet.-Ethelyn Anderson

58- A woman’s heart should be so lost in God that a man needs to seek Him in order to find her.-Facebook Flair

59- Aging is inevitable, maturing is optional. You choose.

60- Life is either a daring adventure or nothing. - Helen Keller

I gave credit on all the quotes. If there’s no quote, for better or for worse, it’s from me.

© 2010 Amy Brady Ministries. All Rights Reserved

I found this poem a few years back.  As far as I know, the author is unknown. You may have read it before, but I think it’s worth reading a lot during this time of year. It seems that the reminder is needed daily, at least it is for me. Love is truly the best gift that we can give our family, friends and loved ones during the Christmas season.

1 CORINTHIANS 13 – (A CHRISTMAS VERSION)

If I decorate my house perfectly with plaid bows, strands of twinkling
lights and shiny balls, but do not show love to my family, I’m just another
decorator.

If I slave away in the kitchen, baking dozens of Christmas
cookies, preparing gourmet meals and arranging a beautifully adorned table
at mealtime, but do not show love to my family, I’m just another cook.

If I work at the soup kitchen, carol in the nursing home and give all that I have
to charity, but do not show love to my family, it profits me nothing.

If I trim the spruce with shimmering angels and crocheted snowflakes, attend a
myriad of holiday parties and sing in the choir’s cantata but do not focus
on Christ, I have missed the point.

Love stops the cooking to hug the child.

Love sets aside the decorating to kiss the husband.

Love is kind, though harried and tired.

Love doesn’t envy another’s home that has coordinated Christmas china and table linens.

Love doesn’t yell at the kids to get out of the way, but is thankful they
are there to be in the way.

Love doesn’t give only to those who are able to give in return but rejoices in giving to those who can’t.

Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all
things.

Love never fails.

Video games will break, pearl necklaces will be lost, golf clubs will rust, but giving the gift of love will endure.

Author Unknown

Wow. Today is my 18th wedding anniversary. In my generation that is a huge feat. But I really don’t know if anyone, but John and I, truly understand the miracle of 18 years.

I turned 20, nine days before we married. John was only three years older than me. We met when I was 16 years old and he was a freshman at the local junior college playing baseball. From the moment I met him, I knew. I knew that every other man that crossed my path would be measured against John. I also knew, after talking with him for hours, that somehow, some way, I wanted him to be in my life forever.

Married life hit both of us like a ton of bricks. John had graduated and was working full time. I was finishing up a full load in college and working part/full time in the worst job of my life. We were still very self centered young un’s. We had baggage that unfortunately we didn’t even know how to check in at the front door. Quite frankly, it took years of the refining fire of marriage and life to unveil the broken parts of our humanity. Some were more obvious than others. Some had lots of comforts attached to them. Some were hidden way down deep inside of each of us.  Mortgages, late nights with crying babies, endless days of laundry and homemaking, the daily burden of providing well for a family, unmet expectations, unresolved hurt, disappointment and responsibilities all began to chip away at the facade of “having it all together”.

That’s when the choice of love had to win out over the illusion of love. The honeymoon was indeed over and we had to decide. Would we love for better AND for worse? Would we love when rich AND poor? Would we love in sickness AND in health? Mentally, physically, spiritually and emotionally? Would we love by forsaking all others? Other ambitions? Other people? Other needs? Other wants? ALL others? Would we love for as longas we both shall live…and then some? Would we commit to choose to love until death parts us? Most days the answer to all of the above was yes. Some days it was no. Lots more it was, I’m not sure. But in the end, the choice to love won out. And I am beyond grateful that it did.

I once heard of a study that was done on several couples who were considering divorce. Almost half ended up divorcing, but the remaining couples decided to stay together. Five years later the researchers went back to the couples who stayed together and asked them if they were glad they did or if they felt they should have split up. Every single one said they were glad they stuck it out, because they realize now that they were just going through a rough patch and are glad they salvaged their marriage.

That’s us. We could have called it quits many times, but we didn’t. Sometimes because we knew we had committed before God to stay together forever. Sometimes because deep down I knew no one else would ever do. Honestly, I don’t believe anyone else could tolerate me. When I think about the times that giving up crossed my mind, I tremble. What if I had? I would have missed out on the greatest opportunity, the greatest journey and the greatest love experience of my life. Jesus’ love changed my life. But God used John’s love to change my life too.  John is the embodiment of unconditional, love-you-in-spite-of-yourself kind of love. His love and ability to forgive is a daily reminder to me of how God loves me. But it took 18 years to get here.

Friend, don’t give up. Young couple struggling to make it or struggling during a season of the blah’s, don’t give up. Those moments are opportunities to strengthen your marriage, to grow as a person and to prepare you to better handle what life will throw your way somewhere down the road. If you can’t make it through the small things, the big things will tear you apart. Learn to know the difference.  Always start with yourself in every conflict. (Lord, help me to remember this!) Go to Jesus. Get your needs and wants fulfilled by Him first. You may find that you have far less that needs to be fulfilled by your sweetheart once you give them to Jesus first. Serve one another. Allow each other to have a bad day, a bad week or even a bad month. Life beats up on the best of us. Be compassionate.  Pray for each other, lower the expectations, allow one another to be human. Commit your burdens in every area of your life to the Lord and let Him bring it to pass. Nagging never changed anyone for good.

Celebrating 18 years together isn’t something to brag about for John and I. It’s something that makes us weep. Something we are eternally grateful for. Something that reminds us of the journey and how blessed we are to have made it this far. I use to want a perfect marriage. I wanted no regrets, arguments or memories I wish I could change.  Well, I ended up with all of the above. But in God’s always redemptive way, even those things have worked together for our good.  Apart from Him we can do nothing. With Him nothing is impossible. Not even another 18 years. To God be the glory, great things He has done.

SOUL C.P.R.

by AMY BRADY

No less than a few times a week (maybe even a few times a day), there is a need to bring the anxiety locomotive to a screeching halt. Jobs, responsibilities, relationships, finances and turmoil chip away at our “peace that passes all understanding.” Spiritually depleted and physically exhausted from everyday life, we need Soul C.P.R. God has lovingly provided us with a spiritual 911 found in Psalm 37. Hidden in the text like an oasis in a desert, is God’s glorious plan to exchange our burdens and cares for His rest and peace, right in the midst of the chaos and crazy we call life.

October 12, Session 1: Commit Your Way  (Psalm 37:5-6)
October 19, Session 2: Place Your Trust (Psalm 37:7)
October 26, Session 3: Repose and Rest (Psalm 37:8-9)

Beginning Monday, October 12, we will meet for three Monday nights from 6:30-8pm, at Discovery Church/Orange Avenue Campus. Jenifer Thigpen (who just released her first CD project) will once again be leading us in worship. This study will have no homework and no workbook. Come worship and hear what God has to say to you about your anxiety locomotive. We hope to see you there!

Location: Discovery Church, 4400 S. Orange Avenue, Orlando, FL, 32806

Dates: Monday evenings (October 12, 19, 26)

Time: 6:30 - 8:00 pm

Cost: FREE!

Space is limited, register early online HERE. Kidcare will not be provided.

For details on the study at Discovery, please contact: Cathy O’Neal |cathyoneal@discoverychurch.org

Over the past few months, I have begun to keep a Scripture journal. This journal holds Scriptures that encourage me in my weaknesses and circumstances. But my journal also contains many verses I am working to commit to memory. If I am going to “encourage myself in the Lord”, as David did in the Psalms, then I’d better know His Word. I can’t recall a verse I don’t know, so I have to do a little work on the front end of the encouragement I’m bound to need daily in this life. God’s Word is a sure thing. A promise already kept. A deal already done. When the Holy Spirit recalls these truths through Scripture to my mind during a time of trial or stress, I know that it is something I can more than wish for. It’s something I can totally rely upon.

Today I was reading over Philippians 4:8, which is one of the verses I am working on memorizing, wordy though it is. As I read through this verse, God showed me something brand new. And I absolutely LOVE it when He does that. He is always waiting to give us a word in due season, even if that word is something we’ve read before.

Here is what Philippians 4:8 says in my beloved Amplified Bible.

“For the rest, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is worthy of reverence and is honorable and seemly, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely and lovable, whatever is kind and winsome and gracious, if there is any virtue and excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think on and weigh and take account of these things [fix your minds on them].”

As I read through the list of better things to think upon, I saw that if there is ANYTHING worthy of praise, I am to fix my mind on this.  I began to apply this to the realm of my relationships. I believe God is saying to me, “When you look at another person, especially those who are difficult to you, FIND SOMETHING worthy of praise and FIX YOUR MIND on it, whatever it may be.”

Ugh. Sometimes I don’t want to find something worthy of praise. It kind of gets in the way of the judging and criticizing I am so prone to do. It kind of cools the embers. Those embers, I feel at times, bring me great benefits. They make me feel superior and right all the time. They give me an easy way out; something to complain about when being positive takes so much work. They keep the focus off anything I may need to change or alter in order for the relationship to be a more positive one. This is especially beneficial if I was the one originally offended. They also give me a reason to keep my distance, withhold my love and put this person’s needs on a shelf. A really, high shelf. After all, there isn’t anything worthy of praise that I can think of off hand.

Or is there? Even in the people we most dislike or at least rub us the wrong way, there is SOMETHING we can find that is worthy of praise.  If we can’t, God can and I know He’s willing to let us in on it. The world and the Enemy of our joy says that finding something worthy in someone else is “not living in reality.” It’s “ignoring someone’s negative behavior and letting them get away with it.”

But God reminded me today that He looks at me (and you) every day and sees our negative behaviors and attitudes. But He addresses them over time, not all at once. While He is working on us and in us, He FIXES His mind on whatever is worthy of praise. He CHOOSES to see the best in us and our ultimate potential, to find that which is worthy and stand back and say, “Now, that is very good.” Oh, for eyes to see His creations the way He does!

How would this change our lives if we chose (and it will be a choice) to find that which is worthy in others and fix our mind on that trait or characteristic, to see us through the difficult or annoying moments in relationships? You can go back to Philippians 4:8 for help if you need to. Is there something honorable? Pure? Loveable? Kind? Winsome? Gracious? Do they do anything with excellence? Then FIX your mind on that and let God be concerned with the other things that rub you raw or rain on your parade. He’s the only One Who can really change it anyway. The same goes for you and me.

So, next time a family member snubs you, focus on the fact that they always send a birthday card.

When your co-worker throws you under the bus at work, fix your mind on their sense of humor and pray for them. After all, anyone who would do that must be insecure.

When your husband still hasn’t hung the pictures in the hallway you’ve been asking him to for six months, fix your mind on how hard he works to provide for you and your family.

When  your child struggles with being honest with you, fix your mind on how helpful they can be or what a good friend they are to other kids.

When that cashier gives you an attitude, fix your mind on how pretty her eyes are. And here’s a challenge: tell her.

If your friend forgets to call you as often as you’d like, fix your mind on the many hours she has sat and offered her shoulder for you to cry on.

Don’t attempt to do this in your own strength. This is supernatural living and we aren’t capable of doing this without the power of the Holy Spirit. Think about how this would impact your family, your job, your home, your church and your own inner peace. Try it out and let me know how it goes. I know it won’t be easy. But I’m up for the challenge. Are you?

“Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,” says the LORD, who has compassion on you.” -Isaiah 54:10 (NIV)

“I’ve seen your face on stained glass, in colored lights
In pictures of you looking to the sky
You’ve been portrayed a thousand different ways
But my heart can see you better than my eyes
‘Cause it’s love that paints the portrait of your life”
The Face of Love by Sanctus Real

There I sat at a Western coffee shop in Southwest China. I already saw things I never dreamed I’d see. I heard stories I thought I’d never hear. But I needed to see it and I needed to hear it. As the song, The Face of Love rang through my iPod into my ears, I began to realize something. Jesus is alive.

For most, I realize this is not a newsflash. But for me, it was a fresh awakening to the reality of His love. I had heard since childhood how Jesus was resurrected, alive, and sitting at the right hand of the Father. But here, in a godless nation with such suffering and oppression, I saw for myself, He is indeed alive. The feeling that rose in me was much like the feeling the women at the tomb experienced that first Easter morning. I thought about the things I had heard and seen: pain, suffering, and hopelessness. I considered those who left the comfort of home and came to a foreign land to love girls caught in the web of human trafficking. The love of Christ was more tangible to me in that moment than any other time. I could sense His love around me. He was there. Close your eyes and imagine it. Jesus was there. Alive and well, living and breathing, as real as the nose on your face.

This encounter with the tangibility of His love changed me. I saw the face of Jesus in His love. His love was stronger than the horror I saw. His love was greater than the pain I witnessed. This love is so wide and far-reaching that it goes into the bowels of a red-light district and reaches the heart of a 13 year old sold to a brothel by her own family. The lives of these precious girls were rescued by His love. His love has always endured and because of that we can endure. God’s unshakable love pursues each of us with the same passion.

“He will send from heaven and save me from the slanders and reproaches of him who would trample me down or swallow me up, and He will put him to shame. Selah [pause, and calmly think of that]! God will send forth His mercy and loving-kindness and His truth and faithfulness.” Psalm 57:3 (Amplified Bible)

We live in a day when not much of anything endures. Relationships and jobs don’t endure. Friends and family don’t always endure. Love doesn’t seem to endure anymore either. To endure means, “to undergo(as a hardship) especially without giving in: suffer: to regard with acceptance or tolerance: to continue in the same state : last: to remain firm under suffering or misfortune without yielding;bear, continue.” I know personally nothing is quite as painful as experiencing a love that does not endure. True love, God’s love, never gives in–even when it causes a hardship.

There are times when an incident will occur between us and someone we love. Though it is reconciled, things are never quite the same. God’s love is not like this. Whether we are disobedient or just plain absent, His love continues on just as it always has. It lasts forever. (Isaiah 54:10)

During the dark nights of the soul when we feel as though we are walking through the Valley of the Shadow of Death, His love remains. When our world has been shaken and all that’s left is rubble, His love continues. No amount of suffering causes Him to yield His love for us. Friend, let me tell you what I tell my boys. Nothing you can ever do or say will make Him not love you. It is impossible. He cannot love you anymore than He does right now. He declared His love for you on the cross. His love does not grow or shrink based on what we do. If it did, that would be conditional love. We tend to think God loves us the way we love others or the way others have loved us. But never forget, He is not one of us.

This unshakable love knows no bounds. There is no height we can reach where it will not soar. No depth we can sink to where it will not plunge. There is no width we can run that it will not follow. And no lengths we will go to that it will not stretch to find us. You can run from God’s love, but you can never hide from it.

No greater comfort exists in the human condition than that of being loved. We were created to love and be loved. First by God, then by others. Many of the tragedies of our world today are due to a lack of love. If love prevailed there would be no abuse, murder, rage, war, divorce or slavery. The list could go on. God’s love provides a soft place to land. It is a luxurious comfort to the hurting soul.

“The LORD your God is with you,he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.” Zephaniah 3:17 (NIV)

I adore this verse. What a precious mental picture to think of God quieting us with His love. I picture myself in His lap. He’s rocking and singing to me just like I used to hold and rock my boys in order to console them. These moments were a sheer delight to me. I held them and smelled their sweet little heads and breathed out a thousand prayers of thanks to God for blessing me with them. I believe He does the same with you and me.

“When you are absolutely convinced how much God loves you, it will drive out every fear you have.” - Wayne Jacobsen

We have no reason to fear we could lose God’s love.  In the human realm, losing someone’s love is a possibility. Even if we try to hold up our end of a relationship, love can still walk out the door. Failing the ones we love can also cause them to remove their love from us, even for a short time. Not so with God. He, like His love, is perfect. Because it is flawless and complete, we do not have to live in fear that something we do or don’t do will cause Him to abandon us. God is love. It is not possible for Him to act contrary to His own character. You can rely on and trust in His unshakable love for you.

“For the king trusts in the LORD; through the unfailing love of the Most High he will not be shaken.” -Psalm 21:7 (NIV)

As our precious Heavenly Father rocks and comforts us, He covers us with a thick blanket of His love. God’s love is incredibly healing. It can heal us from self-hatred. It can also heal the deepest roots of bitterness toward another. As Jesus, God’s only Son hung on the cross, a thick blanket of God’s love covered the world. Looking upon His Son, beaten beyond recognition at the hands of His own creation, He chose to love us. Folks, this just blows me away. I won’t pretend to be so pious as to say I could do the same. If that were one of my sons, all I’d feel is hatred. I’m sorry, I’m just being honest. Love would be the farthest emotion from my mind. To be found in Jesus, is there any comfort and covering greater than this?

If Christ is our Savior, death will not separate us from God’s love. It will merely transport us into His love’s Presence. Life’s adversities and failings cannot separate us from His love. They only act as pathways to experience His love. Not even the war raging in the supernatural realm, can keep us from the love of Christ. The events of our present world are not powerful enough to come between us and His love. Unless we allow it to. Our future, which is unseen by us, is in full view of God. Romans 8:38 says there is nothing in the unknown that can prevent God’s love from enduring. We have no reason to fear the unknown because He’s already there.

There is no earthly power that has the authority to hinder God’s love from reaching us. We can’t go anywhere His love can’t reach us. Nor can we sink to any personal low where His love can’t stretch out a hand and lift us up. Nothing, nothing, nothing can separate us from the “love of God that is in Christ Jesus!” What endurance His love shows. What an amazing extent to which it will reach. What comfort His love brings and what a covering it places upon us. Praise His Holy Name! Praise Him for giving us what He is and not what we deserve. Thank you Father, Thank you. Bless your Name!

© 2009 Amy Brady Ministries. All Rights Reserved

This is an excerpt from my newest Bible study “When all else fails…StAND”. (Week Four, Day Two) If would like to order this workbook and/or DVD or CD for you or your church, you can contact us at info@amybrady.com.

“Those who trust in God are like Zion Mountain: Nothing can move it,
a rock-solid mountain you can always depend on.” -Psalm 125:1 (MSG)

“Do not be distracted or frightened by the tremendous changes going on around you. Keep running the race with endurance. Keep looking to Jesus Christ…While others are being frightened, you can be confident!” - Warren Wiersbe

In Mark 9:20-24, there is the story of a man who thought He trusted God when in fact he did not. Read it below.

“So they brought [the boy] to Him, and when the spirit saw Him, at once it completely convulsed the boy, and he fell to the ground and kept rolling about, foaming [at the mouth]. And [Jesus] asked his father, How long has he had this? And he answered, From the time he was a little boy. And it has often thrown him both into fire and into water, intending to kill him. But if You can do anything, do have pity on us and help us. And Jesus said, [You say to Me], If You can do anything? [Why,] all things can be (are possible) to him who believes! At once the father of the boy gave [an eager,piercing, inarticulate] cry with tears, and he said, Lord, I believe! [Constantly] help my weakness of faith!” (The Amplified Version)

Imagine you and Jesus having this same conversation about any area of struggle in your life. How often do our prayers sound like this father’s plea in verse 22? “But if You can do anything, do have pity on us and help us” (AMP). The first part of this plea reveals the doubt in the father’s heart (and ours). Please don’t miss this. Like this father, we look to the Savior of the world and say, “if You can.” Excuse me. Did we say, if He can? Luke 1:37 tell us “…nothing is impossible with God.” Nothing. Saying if to God is saying, “I’m not sure you can, but give it a try.” In a statement like this there is no firm belief in God’s ability or His effectiveness. Friend, if God is not capable, who on Earth is? Seriously, who is able if the Sovereign Ruler of All is not capable? Who else do we have to run to other than God? If we have no more confidence in Him than this father in Mark 9, is there any question as to why we are moved by every wind of difficulty that blows our way?

I have always loved the response of Jesus in Mark 9:23. “And Jesus said, [You say to Me], If You can do anything? [Why,] all things can be (are possible) to him who believes!” (AMP). Can you just hear the Savior repeating the father’s words? “If You can do anything?” It is as though Jesus is saying, “Do you know who you are talking to here?” In the beginning of this encounter, a father is bringing his very sick child to the followers of Christ, asking them to help his son. I’m sure he had tried many times to get help with no success. This father is desperate to help his child. Who wouldn’t be? Imagine his frustration when the disciples couldn’t help him. Imagine the deep angst within his heart. He must have felt utterly hopeless. Jesus was his last resort. Because so many things had failed him, there still lay within his heart doubt even Jesus could make a difference in his son’s life.

Oh, beloved surely you have felt this way before. I know I have. After trying everything, you find yourself in the same place you have always been. You are right back where you started. In the last part of verse 23, Jesus declares to the father, “Why all things can be (are possible) to him who believes!” Do not miss the correlation between a miracle and our faith found in verses 23 and 24. When the father realizes for himself the relationship between God’s intervention and his own faith, he cries out to Jesus. “At once the father of the boy gave [an eager, piercing, inarticulate] cry with tears, and he said, ‘Lord, I believe! [Constantly] help my weakness of faith!’” (AMP).

When you know in your heart that God is capable, cry out to Him to help your mind believe as well. The Amplified Bible says the father asked the Lord to “constantly” help the weakness of his faith. Every circumstance will require a re-training of our mind to believe and trust God. As we watch God intervene on our behalf–activated by our faith–we will begin to lay a solid foundation of faith. Upon this foundation we can build a life characterized by trust in God.

The story of the ten lepers in Luke 17:11-19, illustrates for us the supernatural connection between our trust in an unseen God and the activation of His miracle strength in our behalf. Check it out below.

“It happened that as he made his way toward Jerusalem, he crossed over the border between Samaria and Galilee. As he entered a village, ten men, all lepers, met him. They kept their distance but raised their voices, calling out, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” Taking a good look at them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” They went, and while still on their way, became clean. One of them, when he realized that he was healed, turned around and came back, shouting his gratitude, glorifying God. He kneeled at Jesus’ feet, so grateful. He couldn’t thank him enough—and he was a Samaritan.” Jesus said, “Were not ten healed? Where are the nine? Can none be found to come back and give glory to God except this outsider?” Then he said to him, “Get up. On your way. Your faith has healed and saved you.” (The Message)

We must learn to believe God! We must learn to stand in the face of adversity and say, “I believe!” We must stand when there is no evidence of what we hope for. We must stand when it seems as though God has forgotten us.

“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” -Hebrews 11:1 (NIV)

As lepers these men were outcasts. They were not allowed to live in the city, they lived in caves and camps on the outskirts of town. They were also not permitted to approach anyone. If they did, they were severely punished. This is why they did not run to Jesus and ask for His help. Instead, they stood off in the distance and cried out to Him. The act of going to the priests, despite the law that forbid them from coming into town, tells us they had faith that somehow along the way Jesus would heal them. They didn’t know how and they didn’t know when. They just knew He would. What a lesson this is for us! Faith is not believing once we understand how or when God will act. Faith is going forward believing that “as we go” God will indeed act on our behalf.

© 2009 Amy Brady Ministries. All Rights Reserved

This is an excerpt from my newest Bible study “When all else fails…StAND”. (Week Four, Day One) If would like to order this workbook and/or DVD or CD for you or your church, you can contact us at info@amybrady.com.

“Those who trust in God are like Zion Mountain: Nothing can move it,a rock-solid mountain you can always depend on.” -Psalm 125:1 (MSG)

“Do not be distracted or frightened by the tremendous changes going on around you. Keep running the race with endurance. Keep looking to Jesus Christ…While others are being frightened, you can be confident!” - Warren Wiersbe

Over past four weeks, God has challenged many of the sinking sands in my life. God never ceases to make me the guinea pig for each study I write. It’s only fair though. One of the values I govern my life by is authenticity. I’ve experienced my fair share of inauthentic people. I also lived many years as an inauthentic person. Since Jesus became a living reality in my life, I’ve lost my taste for anything short of the real deal. God’s way of keeping me authentic is to never allow me to speak or write on anything I haven’t dealt with in a big way.

I too have been inundated with struggles and trials lately. It is hard to keep your spirits up in the midst of turmoil, isn’t it? Each time I took a stand it seemed as though my feet were knocked out from underneath me. There were bitter tears, fervent prayers and fits of frustration. There have also been moments of unmerited favor, enduring strength, and solid faith. In the past month and even the past year, I have had my foundation shaken. It has served a great purpose for me. It has shown me the things in my life that can not be shaken.

Hebrews 12:27-28 tells us when our world is shaken, only the things that cannot be shaken remain. The original meaning for remain in verse 27 is, “to stay: abide, continue, dwell, endure, be present, stand.” In the end, only God’s unshakable kingdom will stand. His love, His Presence, and His Word are unshakable and can never be removed. This is why God is so faithful. He can’t be shaken. When we experience a “shake down,” the only thing of value that remains is God Himself. He is the only thing that can stand.

“God today is shaking things. (Have you read the newspapers lately?) He wants to tear down the “scaffolding” and reveal the unshakable realities that are eternal. Alas, too many people (including Christians) are building their lives on things that can shake.” - Warren Wiersbe

We’ve propped our lives up by scaffolding and faulty foundations. As Wiersbe states, God wants to tear it down and reveal to us the “unshakable realities” worthy of building a life upon. Psalm 46:5 says, “God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved; God will help her right early [at the dawn of the morning]” (AMP). When God is the center of our lives, we have no reason to be moved.

Why then are we moved or shaken so often? I truly believe it’s because we do not truly trust God. Our faith is indeed small. As Christians, I think we assume we trust God. Our actions however betray us. We say we have faith in God, yet we fret, doubt, and worry. What does it mean to trust God? First let’s make sure we understand what trust is. Trust is “firm belief in the integrity, ability, effectiveness, or genuineness of someone or something.” If we truly trust Him we have a firm belief in His integrity and ability. We also firmly believe in His effectiveness and genuineness.

The antonyms of trust are words like: disbelief, doubt, skepticism, suspicion, uncertainty, and mistrust. These words may be a closer representation of our feelings regarding God’s integrity, ability, effectiveness, and genuineness. Especially in the midst of unfavorable conditions. Do we really trust God? As we are inundated with trials and contentious moments I fear our default responses are more like this.

-We don’t believe what God says regarding His activity in our lives.
-We doubt His ability or desire to care for us.
-We are skeptical because of times it appears He hasn’t come through for us or others.
-We are suspicious that He holds out on us. He could help, but He chooses not to.
-We think He only intervenes based on whether or not our behaviors or choices are pleasing to Him.
-We are uncertain that He is real and desires to be involved in our lives.
-We don’t trust Him because we have been let down so often by others or even by the Church.

Faith that needs evidence is not faith at all. God Himself is all the evidence we need and yet we often feel we need more. More evidence than God? Jesus often referred to those who needed signs and wonders to believe, as an unbelieving and wicked generation. As believers we are to be set apart from the rest of the world. How does the world respond to adversity? They worry and fret and despair. How are we, the Church, setting ourselves apart in this generation in regards to uncertainties of our day? Are we standing on the Rock of God’s Word? Are we trusting in God’s ability to provide for His people?  Are we going to run the race set before us believing that somehow along the way God will act. Or, are we participating in panic and fear like the rest of the world?

“Commit your way to the Lord [roll and repose each care of your load on Him]; trust (lean on, rely on, and be confident) also in Him and He will bring it to pass.” -Psalm 37:5 (AMP)

Sometimes faith asks more of us than we feel we can endure.  As long as we are covered in flesh, faith will never come naturally to us. Faith will challenge us and stretch us. It will also test the purity of our trust in Christ. The Bible is full of men and women who struggled against their own flesh to live a life of faith. Hebrews 11 is the Bible’s account of several of them. Faith is not believing once we understand how or when God will act. Faith is going forward believing that “as we go” God will indeed act on our behalf.

© 2009 Amy Brady Ministries. All Rights Reserved

This is an excerpt from my newest Bible study “When all else fails…StAND”. (Week Four, Day One) If would like to order this workbook and/or DVD or CD for you or your church, you can contact us at info@amybrady.com.