I Need You to Survive

"I need you to survive." Hezekiah Walker's song of a few years ago speaks volumes to me today. "You pray for me. I'll pray for you, I need you to survive." As you read this I am waiting to be clear on what I am hearing from God. Pray for me. I know the power of community in prayer changes things. Esther sent word for the Jewish people in Susa to fast and pray with her. She prepared to go see the king uninvited by the king, which was against the law. And her words, "If I perish, I perish" (Esther 4:15-16).

There are times that we come together to the aid of one another in community, even if it is to just sit in the presence. There is so much power with being on one accord. This week, please call my name as you remember this blog. No, it is nothing dreadful, but I want to be clear. And I am being obedient in asking you to join me in prayer.

There is a cute illustration on facebook of ants moving together in line with their goods. An anteater attempts to suck up one of the ants and he calls for help. One ant hears, and grabs the ant. And after ant connects and one ant begins organizing all the ants quickly to form a large ball. Together they save the ant by stopping up the anteater's snout. Together.

We serve One so loving, so patient with us. We serve a great God! As we pray together let's celebrate life! Celebrate your life! Celebrate that you have been freed from all types issues that held you bound.  You have been freed. Walk in that freedom. Oh it is real. You take the step.

Look up the song on YouTube and listen. Walk in those words, recognizing that we are indeed in community with one another. I dedicate the song to you. enough for now.

What are You Doing?

What are you doing?  No, really. What are you doing?  Are you moving forward on your journey? Are you standing still wondering which way to go? Are you stuck, not sure what is going on? You do not have to stay stuck. That is a lie that you have believed and you no longer need to believe that.

Allow Holy Spirit to guide you. Look at what you do dysfunctionally, and let's get back to why you do what you do. Write it down. Write down how it makes you feel. Stop right there.  Does the feeling last? No, the things we do to help us feel better never last.  So we must go farther. Let's walk this out. enough for now.

Lift It Up

Lift it Up. What is one thing that you really need to get rid of in your life? Not sure? Yo may have too many? Lift it up. Now there is something I have not heard in a while. Lift it up. You can always lift it up to God. Allow Holy Spirit to guide you into what should be the first thing yo let go. Ask what causes the most problems in your walk. I used to say, find out what comes between you and God. You see, it is usually not what you think.

You have to start somewhere, start here. Lift it up, and then follow Holy Spirit's guide on how to let go. It is a process. It takes time. After all, how long have you walked wth it?  But you can start here. enough for now.

Clear it Out

I have been getting rid of clothes that I no longer wear.  You know, those things that I have not worn in over three years, yet they hang in my closet. . . taking up valuable space. Did you hear it?

Take time to clear out those things that have taken space in your mind, your heart, those things that are of no value to you. Look at what you worry about.  I mean day after day, year after year- the same thing. Has it helped that you worried? no. So let it go. There is clarity, freedom, in letting go.  After all, your worrying about it did not prevent it, make it happen, fix it . . . you name it. Worry did not help.

Today, let go of that person, place, or thing by offering it to God, and then watch what God does with it. Let go of worry. That really is a commandment from Jesus in Matthew 6:25-34. there is a reason that He does not want you to worry. Worry takes its toll on you, it really is not living.  Get started, clear it out. enough for now.

Enjoy the Beauty

I took this picture a while ago when I was in Hawaii. The tree is a block large and when the limbs are too heavy they drop to the ground and sprout.  I marveled not only at the tree, but what the root system must look like. It is a reminder that we are not alone. We are in community with other believers, and when we feel we are failing, it just be that it when we are sowing seed, or we are reconnecting in order to continue our growth.  I sat a while under the tree to find out what else it had for me. And I recognized that in similar ways others are drawn to us to see what we have for them.  What do we have? The light and we point the way to The Light.  

The crazy part is that as we point, we grow.  And in our growth we shed - we shed fear, doubt, confusion.  We shed those areas that are not in God's image.  It's a process. It does not happen overnight, but it does happen.  

Enjoy the beauty of your growth. enough for now.

Be Careful Where You Walk

Be careful where you walk. The news reported how many germs were on the METRO in D.C. The warning was to wash your hands often, and that is a good warning. I found that interesting. Good advice; yet interesting. But what about your life, where you walk, how you walk, and with whom do you walk?  I offer that Satan's ploys are so much worse than any germs. We walk in and out of treachery every day- that treachery that aims to take our joy, our peace, our life. There is only one way to walk- watching what God is doing in your life, following what God is doing, and trusting what God is doing.  Do you know how much worry you avoid by trusting God? Scripture gives a map to doing so, and it is so real. Be careful where you walk. Take time today to hear what God is saying to you.  Allow Holy Spirit to guide you. Walk in the power of the love of Jesus. and watch what happens.  enough for now.

Where Do You Fall?

Where do you fall? There are so many people hurting from one thing to another. How about you?  The question is how do you handle your hurt?  Too many people are falling never to get up, knocked out by that last one-two punch from life.  Others are trying to sit up, then get up, ready for the next round- whatever that round looks like. And others have discovered the way to "take a licking and keep on ticking," by becoming Weeble People. That was toy a while ago, but we are using that analogy here and now. Weeble People fall but they bounce back up.  Do you remember the punching bag toy that you hit and it falls over and comes back up?  That is like Weeble People.

So how do you get to be a Weeble People? You attach yourself to God and recognize that your story in wrapped up in God's story, and that you and indeed in God's will. That give you ground to stand and when life hits it cannot hit hard.  Oh, I promise that to be true. Yeah, you may be knocked back, but not knocked out. So let's start there.

Whatever you have as a major problem now, take real time and give it to God. You need to lament, to cry out, to yell, but not to mankind but to God.  Tell God how you feel about the problem. You see, healing starts at the feelings level of communication. Think about it. It how we feel about a person, place, or thing that causes us to react the way we do and may cause someone else to act differently.  Go ahead, get started. enough for now.