Stop Remembering What God Has Forgotten

Do you have a tendency to remember your past sins that the Lord has already forgiven? Do you tend to harp on them?

I know I do. Sometimes I will harp on them, wondering how in the world God could forgive me. But here’s the thing: HE HAS!

If you have asked God to forgive you of your sins…..He has and He forgets them!

Psalm 103:12 says,

As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgression from us.

And look at Isaiah 43:25!

I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake and remembers your sins no more.

Why harp on something that has already been forgotten?

I tend to harp on my past sins, thinking to myself “how could God forgive that?” I’m slowly learning to stop doing this. I’m slowly learning that when God has forgiven me of a sin, I am to do what he does: put it in the past and forget about it.

Is it hard? Well, yes, of course. It’s in our human nature to dwell on things. At least it is for me! 

But once God has forgiven our sins, we are FREE! Free from the bondage of sin. There is NO condemnation!

Romans 8:1-2 says:

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you FREE from the law of sin and death.

What can separate us from Christ once we become a believer?

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?……….No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus.

Romans 8:35, 37-39

Simply put, God loves you. And He longs to have a relationship with you. But until you confess your sins and become a believer, that sin you are harboring is separating you from Him.

Won’t you come to Him today?

 

Can They See Jesus?

Do people see Jesus in you?

Do They See Jesus in Me

Joy Williams

Is the face that I see in the mirror
The one I want others to see
Do I show in the way that I walk in my life
The love that You’ve shown me
My heart’s desire is to be like You
In all that I do, all I am

Do they see Jesus in me
Do they recognize Your face
Do I communicate Your love and Your grace
Do I reflect who You are
In the way I choose to be
Do they see Jesus in me

It’s amazing that You’d ever use me
But use me the way You will
Help me to hold out a heart of compassionate grace
A heart that You’re spirit fills
May I show forgiveness and mercy
The same way you’ve shown it to me

Do they see Jesus in me
Do they recognize Your face
Do I communicate Your love and Your grace
Do I reflect who You are
In the way I choose to be
Do they see Jesus in me

Now I want to show all the world who You are
The reason I live and breathe
So You’ll be the One that they see
When they see me

Do they see Jesus in me
Do they recognize Your face
Do I communicate Your love and Your grace
Do I reflect who You are
In the way I choose to be
Do they see Jesus in me

I Am NOT Ashamed

Are you ashamed? Or are you actively telling others about Christ?

 

Thy Will

It’s Saturday! Time for some song lyrics!

This song, Thy Will by Hillary Scott, has a lot of meaning.

So many times we just don’t understand why God allows things to happen. But God has a plan to use bad things for good. We just have to wait on Him.

Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways when they carry out their wicked schemes.
Psalm 37:7

Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait until the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of the heart. At that time each will receive their praise from God.
I Corinthians 4:5

Waiting has never been one of my strong suits. I get impatient very easily. (I’m slowly working on it though. Patience IS one of the fruits of the Spirit, after all.)

For instance, I am currently waiting on something that I’ve been praying about for quite some time now. I have reached the point where I’m getting impatient and want the answer NOW! But God has His reasons for not answering it just yet. I am learning to accept that in HIS time I will have my answer.

I came across some verses that really opened my eyes this morning. It’s found in the book of Lamentations 3:24-26

I say to myself, the Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for Him. The Lord is good to those whose hope is in Him, to the one who seeks Him. It is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.

The Lord is all I will ever need!

Hillary Scott-video

I’m so confused
I know I heard you loud and clear
So, I followed through
Somehow I ended up here
I don’t wanna think
I may never understand
That my broken heart is a part of your plan
When I try to pray
All I’ve got is hurt and these four words

Thy will be done
Thy will be done
Thy will be done

I know you’re good
But this don’t feel good right now
And I know you think
Of things I could never think about
It’s hard to count it all joy
Distracted by the noise
Just trying to make sense
Of all your promises
Sometimes I gotta stop
Remember that you’re God
And I am not
So

Thy will be done
Thy will be done
Thy will be done
Like a child on my knees all that comes to me is
Thy will be done
Thy will be done
Thy will

I know you see me
I know you hear me, Lord
Your plans are for me
Goodness you have in store
I know you hear me
I know you see me, Lord
Your plans are for me
Good news you have in store

So, thy will be done
Thy will be done
Thy will be done
Like a child on my knees all that comes to me is
Thy will be done
Thy will be done
Thy will be done
I know you see me
I know you hear me, Lord

Fly Away

I decided last night that I was going to reread the Left Behind series. It’s a great series to read. I recommend reading them if you haven’t already. And even if you have, why not reread them?

I find myself thinking about the Second Coming a lot lately. I can’t WAIT!

¹⁶ For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. ¹⁷ After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.

1 Thessalonians 4:16-17

Sometimes I find myself daydreaming of what it would be like to hear that trumpet call! This song by FFH is one of my favorites. Definitely gets you to thinking about what it would be like!

FFH-Fly Away

Okay you win, you caught me daydreaming again
About our sudden evacuation
Okay I give in, I can’t help but wondering
But it seems I can’t get enough information

Curiosity has got a hold of me
Tell me how it’s gonna be-when

One day I’ll see you coming back for me
And all together we’ll fly away yeah
One day I’ll hear that trumpet loud and clear
And all together we’ll fly away
Oh how I long for the day
When we’ll fly away

Don’t ask me why I keep starin’ at the sky
It’s just I’m lost in anticipation
I know it will be in the twinkling of an eye
It’s just I get lost in my imagination

Curiosity has got a hold of me
Tell me how it’s gonna be-when

One day I’ll see you coming back for me
And all together we’ll fly away yeah
One day I’ll hear that trumpet loud and clear
And all together we’ll fly away

Oh how I long for the day
When we’ll fly away

Yeah, yeah, we’ll fly away

Curiosity has got a hold of me
Tell me how it’s gonna be-when
One day I’ll see you coming back for me
And all together we’ll fly away yeah
One day I’ll hear that trumpet loud and clear
And all together we’ll fly away
Oh how I long for the day
When we’ll fly away

Curiosity has got a hold of me
Tell me how it’s gonna be-when
One day I’ll see you coming back for me
And all together we’ll fly away yeah
One day I’ll hear that trumpet loud and clear
And all together we’ll fly away
Oh how I long for the day
When we’ll fly away

Curiosity has got a hold of me
Tell me how it’s gonna be-when
One day I’ll see you coming back for me
And all together we’ll fly away yeah
One day I’ll hear that trumpet loud and clear
And all together we’ll fly away
Oh how I long for the day
When we’ll fly away

Yeah, yeah, we’ll fly away
Yeah, yeah, we’ll fly away
Yeah, yeah, we’ll fly away

 

Fight the Good Fight

I find this song, Battles by the Afters,  to be very fitting for me right now. And I’m sure it’s fitting for a lot of you as well.  The Lord is constantly fighting our battles for us. It’s such a good reminder.

Satan is always going to be on the warpath, constantly whispering in our ears, “You’re not good enough. Just give it up, you’ll never win.” Little does HE know.

We know better, right? Because with God on our side, we will be victorious! There is coming a day when Satan will be banished to spend eternity in hell and WE will be spending our eternity with our Creator, who loves us and fights for us.

I long for the day when I see Jesus face to face! To hear Him say “Well done my good and faithful servant.”

 Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love Him
James 1:12

We must continue to fight the good fight!

Battles

The Afters-video

This current is trying to wreck me
Like castles of sand, castles of sand
My fear, like an enemy army
Is marching again, but I’m making a stand

You surround me on every side
Your love is my armor, I fear no evil
Darkness runs from Your light
So I won’t be afraid, I won’t be afraid

You’re going before me and oceans are parting
You’re fighting my battles
When my feet are failing and my heart is shaking
You’re fighting my battles

You’re fighting my battles
You’re fighting my battles
You’re fighting my battles

Time after time, You’re my refuge
You heal every scar, You’re guarding my heart
Your promise, the hope that I cling to
My rescue, my friend, You come rushing in

And surround me on every side
Your love is my armor, I fear no evil
Darkness runs from Your light
So I won’t be afraid, I won’t be afraid

You’re going before me and oceans are parting
You’re fighting my battles
When my feet are failing and my heart is shaking
You’re fighting my battles

You’re fighting my battles
You’re fighting my battles
You’re fighting my battles

You’re fighting my battles
You’re fighting my battles
You’re fighting my battles

In my weakness, You are strong
Every trouble, You have overcome
In my weakness, You are strong
Every trouble, You have overcome
In my weakness, You are strong
Every trouble, You have overcome
You have overcome

You’re going before me and oceans are parting
You’re fighting my battles
When my feet are failing and my heart is shaking
You’re fighting my battles

From Discouraged to Victorious!

Photo by Jad Limcaco on Unsplash

I will admit, I’m feeling very discouraged today. I had a doctor’s appointment and as usual, they weighed me. The second I saw those numbers, I immediately became discouraged. This is definitely not where I want to be.

 

Unfortunately, two of my medications cause weight gain. (not trying to blame the medicine but it definitely doesn’t help!)

So I have to work extra hard to lose the weight. I will also admit, I haven’t been doing my very best. I make feeble attempts to lose weight. But I’ve never actually given my battle with weight loss to the Lord.

Until now.

I’m going to ask you all a favor. Would you please hold me accountable and encourage me as I make this journey into losing weight? It’s going to be a struggle, this much I know. But with God’s help and your encouragement, I think know I can do this.

I just came across a verse that is going to help me.

 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize
1 Corinthians 9:24

I’m going to win this battle. Satan is not going to defeat me again on this.

What is something you battle Satan with? Are you tired of feeling like you’re losing the battle?

Look to Jesus. He will lift you up and with Him on your side, you WILL be victorious!

 

 

 

From Panic to Peace

Photo by Dc Lovensky on Unsplash

When I was 17, I started having panic attacks. To this day, I have no idea where they came from. Nothing significant had occurred in my life. They just showed up. Out of nowhere.

 

One night, as I was trying to get to sleep, I had a major panic attack. It was so bad that my hands seized into a fist, my heart was racing super fast and I literally thought I was dying. My mom tried her level best to unclench my fists but she couldn’t. It was miserable. My mom told me later that when she put her hand over my heart, it felt like a heard of horses galloping.

Mom took me to an urgent care where the doctor put me on Xanax, which made my panic attacks worse. So they switched to Klonopin. I was on that for years and for the most part, it kept my panic attacks at bay. I would still have some but they weren’t nearly as bad.

Well, eventually, I had to stop taking the Klonopin because I no longer had insurance and so I couldn’t afford it. I started going to a clinic in my city that helps those who are uninsured and they put me on Lexapro. That stopped working so my doctor put me on Celexa which I am still on. And it works wonders. I still have minor setbacks but they are nowhere NEAR as bad as that one night when I was 17.

But you know what the best medicine is? God’s Word. I find that when I’m feeling even remotely anxious, I just turn to God’s Word and look up Scripture on anxiety.

Do not be anxious about anything but in every situation by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:6-7

Some people believe that medications are not needed and that just by having enough faith is enough. I’m sorry, but I don’t believe this. When a person has a panic disorder or suffers from depression, there is a chemical imbalance taking place in the brain. In some cases, medication is a necessity, as in my case. I tried to wean myself off my medications once and it was awful.

Photo by Bethany Laird on Unsplash

Some more Scripture you can read if you are feeling anxious:

 

But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Matthew 6:33-34

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.|
Jeremiah 29:11

Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
1 Peter 5:7

 

We live in an anxiety-driven world. But God’s Word promises us that as His children, one day we will live in a peace-filled world! One day He is coming back for us and all of life’s worries will be gone! Can I get an AMEN!

 

Have you ever had a panic attack? What did it feel like to you?

On Trial

Photo by KEEM IBARRA on Unsplash

*If you were on trial for being a Christian would there be enough evidence to convict you?*

 

I heard a variation of  this question years ago for the first time and it’s remained with me.

It always gets me to thinking about my relationship with God.

If I was arrested today for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict me?

Do people see Christ in me throughout my every day life or am I just going through the motions?

Matthew 7:21-23 says:

²¹ “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. ²² Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ ²³ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’

I don’t know about you but that passage has always frightened me. To have God turn to you and tell you He never knew you? Talk about scary!

I’m going to be raw here for a moment. Here is an excerpt from my prayer journal:

Am I living a life that pleases You, God? Or am I just trying to work my way into Heaven? I want to be a soul on fire for You! I want to glorify You in all I say and do.

Why is having a relationship with You so difficult for me sometimes? Why do I struggle with this?

Have I truly given my life to You? Is this Satan’s way of attacking me?

I long to live a life that glorifies God.  I want people to see me on the streets and think to themselves, “There’s something different about her.”

Satan definitely knows my weaknesses and is using them against me. I came across a great quote one day that helps me when I battle Satan like this:

There would be no inner battle if we were truly lost.

So on days like today when I’m “doubting my salvation”, I just read this quote and it reminds me that I AM saved. Satan is just trying his level best to make me believe otherwise.

Another quote I came across and I have hanging up in my room is this:

One of the key ways you can tell you’re saved is when your faith is continually leading you towards repentance and Jesus is continually bringing about change.

Matt Chandler

(I’m struggling with the putting words into sentences today (stupid Fibro fog) so if any of this sounds off, I’m sorry.)

Would there be enough evidence to convict you if you were arrested for being a Christian?

 

 

 

Battle for My Mind

Satan is constantly whispering in my ear, “You’re not good enough. You can’t do this. Just give up now.”

My inner voice responds to him “Shut up. You know nothing. Go away.”

Then it goes quiet. Nothing. No voices for a few minutes.

Then comes the voice that I have grown to know and love. The small still voice that is the Lord’s. He tells me I AM good enough. I AM able to do this. Don’t give up.”

I know what voice I need to listen to. It’s obvious. But Satan’s voice then comes roaring like a lion. It’s his voice versus God’s voice. They’re battling for my mind.

It’s a never-ending battle.

A battle for my mind, my heart, my soul.

Who will win?

Who will I LET win?

It’s up to me, really.

Who do I choose? God or Satan?

Heaven or Hell?

I choose God

I choose Heaven

But there are days where my actions clearly choose the opposite.

There are days I give in to temptation. I listen to Satan’s voice.

I forget momentarily who I am.

A child of the King.

I’ve let Him down once again.

But here’s the beauty of it. He will always take me back! He waits for me with arms wide open when I realize the error of my ways. When I realize how foolish I’ve been. When I realize that that missing piece in my heart is just a prayer away.

I’m a bipolar Christian with a desire to bring others to Christ. To help them see the error of their ways. To help them see that the missing piece in their heart is just a prayer away.

Photo by Ben White on Unsplash

Being bipolar and a Christian is definitely not easy. I struggle daily with racing thoughts and distractions. Satan knows my weaknesses and uses them against me. I try my best to cling to God through these times but sometimes my fleshly desires kick in and I let go and try to go my way.

 

But then I hear His voice, ever so softly, urging me to return to Him. To reclaim the gift He gave me. The gift of salvation.

Redemption for my sins.

He loves me with an agape love. An unconditional love. An everlasting love. His love never fails. Is never rude. Is never harsh. He loves me.

Despite my failures

Despite my shortcomings.

Lord, it is my desire to please you. To live a life that glorifies You. It is my desire to bring others to you. Help me to stop being so scared. To stop being….well, me! You created me. You love me. You know what I can do, even if I don’t.

Lord, you have great plans for me. Point me in the right direction. I want to do Your will. I’m tired of trying to do it all on my own. Especially when we both know I can’t do it all on my own. I need You and I’m begging You to help me cling to You throughout all the hardships I am going through. You are teaching me something, Lord. Help me to understand what it is.

And He loves YOU just as much! He loves YOU the same way. 

Won’t you come to Him?