Isaiah 59:19b When the enemy comes in like a flood, The Spirit of the LORD will lift up a standard against him.
I am so thankful for the WORD. Our standard, our weapon. The standard was and will always be Jesus Christ.
stan·dard (stndrd)
n.
1. A flag, banner, or ensign, especially:
a. The ensign of a chief of state, nation, or city.
b. A long, tapering flag bearing heraldic devices distinctive of a person or corporation.
c. An emblem or flag of an army, raised on a pole to indicate the rallying point in battle.
5. Something, such as a practice or a product, that is widely recognized or employed, especially because of its excellence.
Check out those definitions for STANDARD -
1. His banner over me is LOVE.
a. He is the ensign or standard-bearer. He bears the standard, He is the lead in my life.
b.HERALDIC??? History of and annoounces something to come! He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Our soon coming King, MIGHTY in battle.
c.He is the rallying point in ANY battle. Scattered in thought? Run to Jesus!
5. He bears the mark of excellence. ( I am so thankful that He does nothing half hearted)
Thank You God for raising up a standard. Thank you that I can run to the Standard. That when I feel overwhelmed, the wind and waves of the impending flood are about to consume me, YOU, Oh God, in Your love and might have raised up a standard against the enemy. The standard being your Son, Jesus! I am thankful that today and everyday I can trust, listen, obey and lean into You. I am so thankful that today You thwarted the enemy and his assignments! AMEN
The song on my heart this morning -
God you are my God
And I will ever Praise You
Oh, God you are my God
And I will ever praise You
I will seek you in the morning
I will learn to walk in your ways
Step by step you will lead me and I will follow you all of my days!
I remember my wedding day like it was yesterday even though it has been 20 years and 54 days.
I remember my dad saying if you don't want to do this we can leave right now. LOL
I so wanted to say I do to Chris Waldmann. I remember saying our vows in such tender tones and feeling his lips against mine when the minister said, "you may kiss your bride". We then realized the ceremony was over and it was time to walk back down the isle together united. I remember watching the video later and cracking up because we practically ran down the isle together.
20+ years later we still experience tender touches, soft spoken tones and great timing.
We know how important our marriage covenant is and wish to make it stronger by attending marriage encounters like Romance Uncensored.
Enjoy the video and remember...
2-4Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don't try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way.
5-8If you don't know what you're doing, pray to the Father. He loves to help. You'll get his help, and won't be condescended to when you ask for it. Ask boldly, believingly, without a second thought. People who "worry their prayers" are like wind-whipped waves. Don't think you're going to get anything from the Master that way, adrift at sea, keeping all your options open.
James 1 from the NLT
2 Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. 3 For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. 4 So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing. 5 If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. 6 But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. 7 Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. 8 Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do.
I know I put the same set of verses up there two times. I love to read the bible from multiple sources.
About a month ago when Steph was hopping out of the van at school. She said, "mom I got the perfect Cd for you to listen to". At first I was like oh no, because if you know Steph you know she LOVES music, ALL music and has made herself praise cd's, happy cd's...my point she names her cd's and it is like a signature for her mood or train of thought. She realizes that music can be mood altering. So I wasn't sure what message she was sending me that day until she shut the door with an "I love you, mom". As the cd started I was like what is this, Ha!It was the book of James dramatized. I listened to it over and over for weeks. Then I began to read it in different versions. I have prayed that God would renew my love for His word and He has. I don't wake or sleep without reading it. It is like water to my soul.
Little did I know then that it was setting the stage for the last two weeks in my life. It truly has made my mind be undivided. I am solely single focused on what God wants in this moment. My prayer is how can I show love today? In what way can I obey and bring you glory?
I have had "a sheer gift" the last two weeks and "an opportunity for great Joy". My prayers are focused on the Lord helping me to stay undivided. Chris said either we are doing something wrong or this is a testing of our faith. (knowing full well what he believed) I said well, hun I have no control over the car breaking down, auto accidents that result in the van being totaled, chicken pox, allergic reactions or medical opinions of what is wrong with me or death of loved ones. He said correct! So stand firm knowing that the trying of your faith is working out patience in your life.
It is truly settling to know that God is in this moment with me. I know to some of you I might sound totally silly. But I HAVE TO BELIEVE. All the songs, post and comments on facebook have been my true colors coming out and I pray that not to look good for you but ONLY that God be glorified in all of this.
In the last two weeks, God has also used people to speak these verses to me. I am thankful for the "warm hugs from God" as I call it. If I have said to you - Thanks for being Jesus with skin on, its because to me in that moment you represented Christ in an authentic way. Thank you!
I am undivided and my attention is set like a flint on only one....the lover of my soul, my savior, Jesus
A few days ago I posted on Facebook and Twitter that I felt like a load of unbalanced towels in the washing machine. Ha! So I turned off everything, the computer, music and cell phone (I just didn't answer it). I was frustrated, tired and a bit torn. I kept chewing on the metaphor that came to me."Unbalanced load of towels in the washer."
I had a friend text me and I explained that only 2 things stop the annoying noise of an unbalanced machine.
1. You have to lift the lid.
2. You have to redistribute the load.
I continued chewing on this in respect to my day and load. Where did the feeling come from? Why was I feeling like the noise had become too much? Just shutting the machine off doesn't make it stop.
Let me explain.
For those of you that do laundry you know that if you let a wet load set for too long it will begin to stink. So just turning it off in the middle of a spin cycle doesn't fix the problem. You have to do something. It takes more effort than simply lifting the lid and stopping the machine.
I looked back at the text I sent several times. I noticed that the word lid for what ever reason was capitalized. Why did I capitalize that word? hahaha Well, immediately the phrase "law of the lid" came to me. I shrugged and realized God was speaking. So I began to think on it and pray.
For those of you that are unfamiliar with the phrase "law of the lid" let me explain it. John Maxwell is a leadership mentor to many people. He has written numerous books on leadership. The last one I read was Put Your Dream to the Test. A good book but one of my favorites is the 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership. The first law is the law of the lid. There is a lid on a person’s leadership ability and this lid determines their level of effectiveness. The lower a person’s ability to lead, the lower the lid on his leadership ability, and the lower his effectiveness. On the contrary, the higher the leadership ability, the greater the effectiveness.
I realized that day that as a parent some of my frustration in our home wasn't something that I needed to change in my children. I simply needed to lift my lid. All that needed to be done in our home I had taken back on and lowered the lid of effectiveness. I was doing things that they could do and my frustration was on me. I did it to myself. They should be given varying levels of responsibility. Accountability was were I was lacking in my "leadership lid". I realized that I not only needed to lift my personal lid but I also needed to redistribute the load.
So point number 2 - Redistribute the load
I had taken on the task that they were given and was left feeling overwhelmed and a bit of a bad parent. That day I realized that I had to redistribute the load. I couldn't keep doing everything and expect my kiddos to grow as leaders. The higher my lid, the higher they could/would grow. I saw an area of weakness in my holding them accountable to chores. I have to lift the lid and expect their best.
I looked at every aspect of my life, from my marriage to my parenting. My personal time with God to serving others. I saw other areas the lid needed to be lifted.
I used to sit in a chair in our living room every night and read my bible or books and study. My kids asked one time why I didn't do that anymore. I realized that they missed seeing me have my personal time. I was still reading and praying but at different times. (i.e. while they were at school) They still need to see me reading my bible.
The greater impact you want to make, the higher your lid needs to be. Fortunately, we can raise the lid by learning. I am still learning and I am thankful for the gentle nudge of the spirit that speaks in our daily lives.
When I turned off the noise of the world and gave my attention to the Lord I realized a few areas I lacked as a leader. I have lifted my personal lid and will continue to strive to keep it lifted higher than the little lids in which I am honored to raise in my home. I want to seize opportunities to assist my kiddos in lifting their lids in leadership.
Philippians 1:3-6 (msg)
Every time you cross my mind, I break out in exclamations of thanks to God. Each exclamation is a trigger to prayer. I find myself praying for you with a glad heart. I am so pleased that you have continued on in this with us, believing and proclaiming God's Message, from the day you heard it right up to the present.There has never been the slightest doubt in my mind that the God who started this great work in you would keep at it and bring it to a flourishing finish on the very day Christ Jesus appears.
It is my prayer that we would continue to seek God for every area of our lives. That we would believe what the verses above say for us and others. That what God began in us, that He will bring it to a flourishing finish. We will grow in Him.
