Jesus is Knocking at the Door

Jesus came to seek the lost. Because we are like sheep who have gone astray. We've lost our way and sheep need a shepherd.

Sometimes fortune cookies have an interesting word

The amazing thing about these seventy or eighty years we have on this earth, is they are a gift from God. He gives us a lifetime to find Him - to say YES to Him.

It's because of His Grace.

Grace sent Adam and Eve out of the Garden of Eden. Did you realize that? If they had eaten from the Tree of Life they would have lived forever in their sin.

Jesus didn't come to condemn. He came to save.  (Click to Tweet)

Jesus came that we would have life. 

His death and rising again brings victory over death. 

Defeat to the enemy. 

And Eternal life to all who believe.

"Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in..."  Revelation 3:20

Jesus is knocking at the door...will you answer? (Click to Tweet)

Praying that you find all God has for you,


Jeanne

 

Apple Tree and Open Door images courtesy of morguefile.,com

Have You Ever Been Astonished by God?

A few years ago while attending a writer’s workshop I read, “...I muse on the work of Your hands." Psalm 143:5

I found the word muse interesting since my focus would be on writing all week. So I did a little digging, found the Middle English origin of the word:

BE ASTONISHED

I wondered. 

I whispered, Please, Lord, help me to be astonished this week. I tucked that prayer away and got caught up in the whirlwind of teaching, workshops, free writing and critique.

The last day, my drive to campus was clouded with tears, brought on by three simple words from the innkeeper. He chatted with me that morning after breakfast as I settled my bill...

“You had a good week?” He asked.

“I had a great week.”

“You did good!” He continued.

“You remind me of my dad,” I mused.

“You do know what’s going on here don’t you?” he prompted.

I must have looked puzzled and so he continued,“You need to hear that today. YOU DID GOOD.” (Click to Tweet)

Suddenly, my dad's words became clear—out of the misty past. He had passed away a year before and the memory was still raw. He was a man of few words and often used this simple phrase.

Tears welled up and my throat tightened. It was as if Dad was giving me the encouragement I needed—and I felt a blessing from my Heavenly Father too.

I shared my story with the writer's group as my tears flowed. Unexpected emotion rolled over me, and I grappled with control. 

Words have a powerful affect—to build up or tear down (Click to Tweet), encourage or discourage, to give hope or cause to lose heart. Words can wound or heal. 

That morning the Lord gave healing words—straight from the mouth of an innkeeper, yet echoed from my daddy’s heart. And I stood astonished in the presence of God who knows my every breath and heart need.

Have you ever been astonished by God? (Click to Tweet)

Jeanne

*In cross referencing the verse in Psalm 143:5 I also found more references to the word muse: 
Psalm 105:2
Psalm 77:12 
Psalm 119:27




Images courtesy of morguefile.com
This post is reprinted from an earlier post here at The Stream's Edge.

God's Word Speaks Today. What Are You Hearing?

What has the Lord been saying 

through His word to you? 

"How delightful is a timely word." Proverbs 15:23

"Like apples of gold in settings of silver is a word spoken in right circumstances." Proverbs 25:11

How has God's word been timely for you? (Click to Tweet)

I'd love to hear what He is doing in your life this week.

Pray for me...I am speaking to a women's group on Saturday. Pray that the words in my message, Service to a Tea, will speak to the hearers and draw them closer to the Savior.

I have an article due to my editor and I'm scheduled to speak at a retreat in April. So, I will be stepping back from my online presence to focus on these deadlines.

Feel free to share this image. I took the photo from the top of Mount Washington. 

I love cairns. These are the rock piles that mark the trail. They say, this is the way, walk in it. How like God's Word.

One word the Lord brought from His word this week is:

"And the Lord helped David wherever he went." 1 Chronicles 18:6,13

I know He helps you and me too!!

Jeanne

Free to share:

View From Mount Washington taken by Jeanne Doyon

Disney's Frozen - Will You Let It Go? Un-Frozen to Serve Part Two

Be sure to check out my last post, Unfrozen to Serve Part One. Discover the things that can keep us frozen and ineffective. 

In my last post, I asked the question:

Are you ready to LET IT GO so you can impact the Kingdom for God's glory?  (Click to Tweet)

That is why we're here, to serve and proclaim Jesus Christ.

God could have taken us from the earth as soon as we acknowledged Jesus as Lord. Instead, He leaves us here because He has work for us to do. We are His hands, feet, mouth and ambassador to a dark and frozen world  (Click to Tweet)

Sharing how God has met us in the midst of our darkness empowers others to believe. Living redemptively frees us from the hold of the enemy and our deliverance becomes a light saber for God to pierce the darkness around us.

What do I mean by that? Our past becomes redemptive by allowing our history to become His-Story (Click to Tweet)

There are so many examples for us in Scripture. I know we’ve been focusing on a couple of Disney princesses, but will you allow me to share the example of an Egyptian prince? 

If you remember the story of Moses, He was a Hebrew brought up as the son in Pharoah’s household. He saw how his people were being treated. He killed an Egyptian and buried him in the sand. But when the deed was exposed he fled into the desert.

So when Moses encountered the Living God speaking from the burning bush, he’d had experienced forty years of regret and burying his past. When God tells him what he wants him to do, he is filled with excuses:

Exodus 3:11 Moses asks, Who am I?

Exodus 4:1 He says, what if they don’t believe me or listen to me?

Exodus 4:10 Moses says, I have never been eloquent…he lists his weaknesses

Exodus 4:13 Moses pleads for God to send someone else.

I don’t know about you but I use these same excuses. I can relate to how Moses felt. I believe there is something God wants us to see.

Instead of asking, Who am I? 

God wants us to see that He is the great, I AM WHO…
because He is the one that accomplishes everything through us.

So, the question is who are you going to listen to—the thief or the Good Shepherd? 

I mentioned in my last post that Ephesians 6:10 tells us to:

Stand firm against the schemes of the evil one. 

We know God has a plan for our lives; do we know that Satan has plans too?

Don’t allow Satan to worm his way into your thinking and render you useless  (Click to Tweet)

Instead, focus on Jesus who has redeemed your past so it can shine a light into the dark places of this world. Dwell on how He sees you.

God’s Word tells you that:

You are chosen and loved – Eph. 1:4

You are forgiven and redeemed – Eph. 1:7

You are a new creation – 2 Cor. 5:17

You are set free – Gal. 5:1

You are gifted – 1 Cor. 12:4-7

You are empowered – Eph. 3:20

You are to serve – Eph. 2:10

You have a ministry of reconciliation – 2 Cor. 5:18

You are His ambassador – 2 Cor. 5:20

There is a frozen world out there. Will you let it go so He can accomplish His kingdom purposes through you?

How has God spoken you you through these Scriptures today?

Jeanne

You can read Moses' story in the Old Testament book of Exodus

Tweetables:

Instead of asking, Who am I? God wants us to see that He is the great, I AM WHO (Click to Tweet)

Images courtesy of Morguefile.com 

Disney's Frozen - Will You Let It Go? Un-Frozen to Serve Part One

Anyone have a little princess at home? Do you find yourself singing, Let it Go, Let it Go with the full flourish of aerobic dancing?

….in light of our New England winter, Disney’s Frozen is getting plenty of press. 

I spoke recently at our Care Net Crisis Pregnancy Center’s event called: 

UnFrozen

They used the Disney animated film as a theme. So, I spoke about being Un-Frozen to Serve. I’ll be sharing some of my insights in the next couple of blog posts.

As I watched Disney’s Frozen, I found myself thinking, I want to be like Anna. She’s strong, brave, adventurous and skilled. She knew just what to do in any situation and did everything with all her might.

But in my heart, I am Elsa—fearful, alone, isolated, always second guessing myself, protecting myself…Yes, I understand Frozen very well. Instead of embracing life with the power God provides, I find excuses why I can’t or shouldn’t do something.

Can anyone relate? 

Are you frozen too? I don’t mean temperature, I mean in your desire to serve God with all your might. If you're anything like me, you want to say yes. You want to jump in with both feet. 

But, you don't. Why?

First, it helps to ask what’s holding you back. What causes you to be frozen? 

I can think of many reasons, most of which I struggle with. Like, fear, busyness, shame, the past, doubt, insecurity, unforgiveness, anger…and I’m sure you can add others.

Secondly, you need to be aware of where they're coming from.

John 10:10 tells us Jesus gives us abundant life—it also says there is a thief who seeks to destroy us. That word, destroy, means to render useless—to put out of the way.

Satan likes nothing more than to disable believers so we are ineffective and weak.  (Click to Tweet)

Satan feeds the feelings of guilt, shame and doubt. Even when we know God has forgiven us, Satan’s tactic is to cause doubt. And, because of this we often, have trouble forgiving ourselves.

We keep things from our past locked in the back of a cold closet because we think they make us unworthy to be used by God. To reveal them would expose ourselves to others; we wonder if they look at us differently.

This is an invisible prison the enemy loves—it’s as if you hear him say, “Did God really say…”

Satan is the accuser. He is a master of spinning a web of doubt and we retreat to the back of the frozen closet. We are rendered useless and the enemy smirks.

R.T. Kendall says in his book, Holy Fire: A Balanced, Biblical Look at the Holy Spirit's Work in Our Lives :

 "The next time Satan reminds you of your past, remind him of his future."

God’s word trumps the devil’s lie.  (Click to Tweet)

Jesus forgives your sins and doesn’t hold them against you any longer. They are thrown into the depths of the sea. Corrie ten Boom said He posts a sign that says, “No ice fishing.” 

Jesus takes our past, the weapons the enemy uses against us, and makes them redeemed tools for the Kingdom. He takes your story and gives it power to speak into the lives of others.

Who are you most like, Anna or Elsa?

What’s keeping you frozen?

What does the enemy love to throw in your face?

Ephesians 6:10 tells us to stand firm against the schemes of the evil one. Recognize that he is the accuser and the father of lies.

Are you ready to LET IT GO so you can impact the Kingdom for God's glory?

Jeanne

Tweetables:

I want to be like Anna, but in my heart I know I'm Elsa (Click to Tweet)

Satan likes nothing more than to disable believers so we are ineffective and weak (Click to Tweet)

God's Word trumps the devil's lie (Click to Tweet)

Be sure to tune in on Friday for part two of Unfrozen to Serve.

R.T. Kendall's book is one I'd like to read:

Snowflake Image courtesy of Morguefile.com