Condemnation

"My levees' are broken
My walls are coming down on me
My rain is falling
Defeat is calling
I need you to set me free
Take me far away from the battle
I need you
Shine on me!

I look to you,
I look to you
After all my strength is gone
In you I can be strong
I look to you,
I look to you
And when melodies are gone In you I hear a song
I look to you"

I was listening to this song earlier. I don't remember how I got to it but I was on Youtube and after clicking enough of the "Related Videos" from my initial search, I came across this song. For those who don't know, this is Whitney Houston's song "I look to you." And the more I listened to it, the sadder I became.

When I think about Whitney Houston, her gifts, life, talent, death etc., I think about how many people condemned her. On Facebook there were either one of two things. Either people were talking about how sad they were OR they were condemning her, talking about her lifestyle, drug addiction, etc. One of the things that bugged me was someone saying "If she REALLY loved God she wouldn't have been living ungodly!"Ungodliness is anything that is not godly right? In that category would include lying, gossiping, envy, doubt, fear, the list can go on and on. Being in need of deliverance doesn't disqualify a person from being a Christian. FYI

I truly believe she loved the Lord. I'm not justifying any decision that she made at all but if we're talking about being Godly, when does Jesus ever say that we are to condemn others?  I'm sure we all can admit, at some point we've found ourselves in situations that reeled us in and put us in a position that required deliverance. When looking at the lyrics of this song, she was crying out for help just like so many people are. I come across so many people who turned away from God/church because they were condemned instead of loved.

It bothers me when people can so quickly turn the finger and condemn others once they've already fallen and hit the bottom but so many don't pray and uplift them while they're still in the air. Whitney Houston was just an example I wanted to use to express the importance of intercession as it pertains to people we know and people we don't know. "So and so did this ungody thing, said this ungodly thing, is acting this ungodly way, talking this ungodly stuff" Ok so he/she is operating in their human sinful nature. So how many times have you prayed for them, fasted for them or encouraged them?

We have to love each other! Not only love one another but be reflections of God's love. Otherwise, we will lose people to the enemy. As Christians we are a physical representation of God. I saw a quote a while back that said "I wish I had met Christ before I met a Christian." And honestly, Christians can be the most judgmental and condemning people. When we see a person operating in any spirit other the the Spirit of God, we need to intercede on their behalf and not send them straight to hell.

I prayed to God a while back that He would help me become a woman of prayer. That He would put the desire in my heart to pray more and He did. I wake up in the middle of the night sometimes to pray for people I don't even know. Sounds crazy probably but so many people are in need of prayer that God may give me a name of someone who is in need. God knows their name and their need so I just allow the Holy Spirit to use me as a vessel.

I was raised by powerful anointed women of God who prayed and prayed and prayed. I've had that example my whole life. But it wasn't until God showed me the desperate need of love in the world that I began to understand why it is so important.

When a person loves God but is living a lifestyle other that how God wants them to, when a person has turned away from God and strayed from what they know as the Truth, or when a person doesn't believe in God at all, PRAY and PRAY and PRAY again. There's no need to gossip and complain or judge and condemn. There's no need to tell others about it, just pray uplift and encourage. God revealed it to YOU so there's no need to expose it to others. I am where I am because there were people praying for ME because I know at one point I was caught up in a place that you would think I didn't know God let alone love Him.

 In order for us to be who we are called to be in Christ, we have to love people. We can't walk out in who God has created us to be if we can't accept and love others in the same way that the prodigal father accepted and loved his prodigal son. (Luke 15:11-31)

"We All Must Visit Death"

I just came back from a homegoing service. One of my neighbors passed away last week.

There's always something about these types of services that hits so close to my heart. We all die. Death is more universal than life, because we all die; however, not everyone lives.

Death is such a mystery, because you never know when it will hit. The pastor immediately mentioned that "we all must visit death" at some point in our lives. She stated that many fear death, some are nonchalant on the issue, and others live life in a way that they will be rewarded one day by their heavenly Father.

Though we don't like to think of our loved ones passing on, it is a pivotal point that we must endure. Some may have to bury their parents, while parents have to bury their children. Today, a mother of nearly 90 years old had to bury her almost 50 year old son. I always think that's a sad situation, when a parent must say good-bye to their child(ren) while they still carry on in this life.

However, God knows what's best for each and every one of us. That is why He allows certain situations to occur, because He knows that He has equipped us to handle it. He never puts more on us than we can bear, despite what we see and feel to be "too much to handle." It is in these moments that we tangibly feel His peace and arms around us. We are at a place where we can sense His spirit, because our spirit has quieted down long enough to listen.

I've been guilty of selfishly praying prayers that God will not take my family and friends away from me during my lifetime. I've prayed that we would somehow die together and/or we would all be taken to heaven at the time of Jesus' arrival. I just couldn't imagine myself strong enough to live and go on any longer without them. But that was really selfish of me. The pastor stated that my neighbor was a loan to us, and last week the loan period was up when God called him back home. That kind of stuck with me. We don't own anything on this Earth; God owns it all. He just placed us in certain families and communities for a season. Our true home is in heaven if we have received and accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.

Romans 10:9-10

Prayer life

Happy holidays everyone! I hope you all enjoyed Christmas. Not just the gifts but I hope you took some time to show reverance to Jesus Christ and offered Him the gift of MORE of YOU! :-) I'm sure that was His best birthday gift!

Anyway, I've been kind of having this strange feeling. I don't want to say it's frustrating because that's a negative word but I feel like something is about to take place. It's a hard feeling to describe but SOMETHINGS going on and I think it's the anticipation of that something that I'm feeling.

I've been praying for people alot lately. I pray everyday but there is one person in particular that I met just a few weeks ago that has had a lasting effect on me. I've found myself praying for them alot and part of me feels that that is part of my assignment. With all humility, I do believe that my prayers have power. And because of that, I do my best to pray for those that God places on my heart.

I've been praying that God helps me have more of a desire to pray for others. Not necessarily meaning I prayed selfishly only for myself in the past but let's be honest, I'm NOT perfect. I go to God pretty often in hopes that He removes anything unlike Himself from my heart and/or mind. In the mist of all that, I may not have taken the necessary meditation time to seek God on what and who I needed to pray for specifically.

We are all in need of something but if you've ever read Proverbs 31 -The Wife of Noble Character in the Bible, you know that she puts others' needs above her own. What makes her so wonderful is her ability to serve others. Not only serve them but she does so graciously. And I believe that if we live that way, God will take care of OUR needs. I want to be like her. (With my own little Chelsea twist of course lol) I don't want to just appear to be a Proverbs 31 woman outwardly by only my actions but I want my heart to be that way. I truly want a heart to serve, serve God, my future husband and family, even a heart to serve strangers. And I want to do so graciously.

And I realize that's one of the things I'm learning after praying for that person I've mentioned. I barely know anything about them and at this point, I'm not in a position to know more about them outside of prayer. But I believe God wants to show me that the holy spirit gives you the information you need in order to cover a person in prayer. I've always been hesitant to pray with a stranger. I've done so plenty of times but there was always that thought "What if I don't know what to pray about???" But we aren't required to know. We're only the vessel right? If we submit to God who knows all, what needs to be said will be said as long as we get out of His way. Hmm, interesting...

So everyday I lift up many people but also one who is pretty much a stranger to me. But I know an assignment when I see one. So I'm going to keep on praying for them in hopes that God is using me in the way He's intended for that person's life. Even if they don't know I'm praying or even if they're not praying for me, I'll fight for them spiritually as if I knew them better than myself and I feel that God is maturing me in the area of service.

If you don't know the importance of prayer, it's important! Prayer has the power to reverse an evil trap, it has the power to heal bodies, to free people, to cover them, to deliver them, I could go on and on. Your prayer life is important and I've asked God to expand that. And because of that, I've had the desire to pray more for others. Proverbs 31 is in effect. And I'm not specifically talking about striving to be a "wife," I want to be like her as a woman in general. Even before I'm married, I want a heart to serve others in ways that may not even make sense to them. I want to be genuine and generous, loving and caring, selfless and dedicated, walking in the fruits of the Spirit. (Not being deep but I want to be pure in every aspect of my life as we all should.)

So I'm thankful for my new "invisible" friend that has been in my daily prayers lol When someone has such a lasting effect on me, they usually have some lesson attached to them for me to learn. Alot of things I still don't quite understand but I see why they have been so heavy on my heart and why our distance has been a requirement set up by God. God is introducing me to the life of a woman with a servant's heart. :-)

Day 6: My Thankful

I'm thankful that prayer really works. Sometimes I find myself praying for things, and then I realize that what I've prayed for has actually come to pass. It amazes me. I know God hears my prayers, but sometimes I feel that I'm not doing something right when I talk to Him. Like I'm talking to air or something. But, NOT so!

I'm thankful that I'm finally through with a group project I had been stressing over.

I'm thankful for joy.

I'm thankful for LIFE!

I'm thankful that I have at least 3 good friends in the world.

I'm thankful that my Netflix bill will actually come out next week's check. So, extra cash pocketed! Whoot Whoot! =)