About Me
- Sweetly Broken
- I am a lover of God, His word and precepts. I am a rebel against the ways of the world. I am a wife and mother seeking to hold up my husband with love and raise up my children with truth. I am on a journey, an adventure, a quest to meet my King.
Monday, June 25, 2012
OverThreeYears!!
Earlier today as I was was working on a website I came across this blog...my blog. I haven't written a word on this blog in OVER THREE YEARS!!! WOW! As I went back through many of my old posts I was amazed to see some of the prayers and thoughts that I penned. For example: In a post titled, Favor, I wrote,"I surrender to your kingdom work in me. Do what you need to do--whatever it looks like--whatever it feels like--I am Yours." Indeed that had serious implications. Looking back at those blogs I realized that in that season I was on the verge of entering an adventure that I never could have imagined.
Three years later I have a few more wrinkles, a few more pounds, more gray hair, another beautiful child, a wonderful husband, a lot fewer worldly possessions, and have lived more months in Israel than the United States. What a wild ride. I regret that I didn't blog during this time but am determined to get back to it. One of the things I noticed first was my blog title, Sweetly Broken...now I can say without reservation that the brokenness that prompted me to start that blog in 2008 was the single greatest catalyst to bring forth a multitude of blessings. The equation was simple. I was broken and in that brokenness I looked to THE HEALER..THE I AM. The God that appeared to Abraham in a burning bush stood beside me in my broken state and just like the Abba He is, he held his broken little girl with His love. At times I struggled in His arms but despite myself He heard my plea to be healed, to be whole and to be completely His.
I thought today as I revisited myself through this blog of changing the Sweetly Broken title, but after a little thought I think for the moment I will keep it as it is. I know in so many ways I am restored and healed but I have come to the realization that in order to continue to draw more closely to the heart of the Father there will continue to be brokenness, pouring out, and of course more healing...today I am reminded that there is divine power in remaining sweetly broken. Thank you, Abba...for holding me.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Truth from my friend Paula
Sometimes, people drive me crazy!Share
Yesterday at 5:35pm
People are so quick to say "Judge not lest you be judged also...," which is not saying don't form opinions, but rather, is dealing with the heart attitude behind it. If the heart is motivated by love and moved with compassion, then the words, attitudes, and reactions will reflect that. If there is a finger pointing with words saying, "You are Wrong! You are selfish! You always ______! You ______, You ______, You_______, does that demonstrate greater love hath no man than this that he lay down his life for a friend? We have friends serving the Lord in Israel, who have been under fire for months, not by those who hate Israel, but by "brothers and sisters in the Lord" who disagree with a walk in obedience to the Lord. How can anyone say, "God wouldn't tell you to do this or that" if the "this or that" is not in opposition to His Righteousness, Justice, and Character. Unless God is speaking audibly in the natural to human ears, His voice is the gentle whisper in our hearts (sometimes not so gentle). :) If what I am hearing lines up with His Word, nature, and character, no one can say what I heard is not His voice. Once again, paraphrasing Oswald Chambers about the call of the sea and likening it to the call of God: No one understands it unless he also has that call. Okay, I'll get off my soapbox now. LOL
Yesterday at 5:35pm
People are so quick to say "Judge not lest you be judged also...," which is not saying don't form opinions, but rather, is dealing with the heart attitude behind it. If the heart is motivated by love and moved with compassion, then the words, attitudes, and reactions will reflect that. If there is a finger pointing with words saying, "You are Wrong! You are selfish! You always ______! You ______, You ______, You_______, does that demonstrate greater love hath no man than this that he lay down his life for a friend? We have friends serving the Lord in Israel, who have been under fire for months, not by those who hate Israel, but by "brothers and sisters in the Lord" who disagree with a walk in obedience to the Lord. How can anyone say, "God wouldn't tell you to do this or that" if the "this or that" is not in opposition to His Righteousness, Justice, and Character. Unless God is speaking audibly in the natural to human ears, His voice is the gentle whisper in our hearts (sometimes not so gentle). :) If what I am hearing lines up with His Word, nature, and character, no one can say what I heard is not His voice. Once again, paraphrasing Oswald Chambers about the call of the sea and likening it to the call of God: No one understands it unless he also has that call. Okay, I'll get off my soapbox now. LOL
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Stray Words
"But I tell you that every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned." (Matthew 12:36-37).
Well, that's not good. How many careless words have I spoken in my lifetime. Dozens? Hundreds? Thousands? Maybe I talk too much.
A “careless word” in this context is a word spoken rashly or carelessly without thought as to whether it is pleasing to the Lord or not. It may have been spoken in anger, or excitement, or exasperation, or under pressure, or in ignorance. The Scriptures warn, “This you know, my beloved brethren. But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger; for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God.” (James 1:19-20).
So, there have been many such words come from our mouths in a lifetime, and Jesus says that they each one will be considered at the judgment and we will either be justified by them or condemned by them. Well, the gospel is not “good news” for nothing. It is the answer to our dilemma. It is what is going to get us out of this mess we got ourselves into.
The Accumulation of Character
Why is God so particular about every minute thing we may have ever uttered? There are probably many reasons, including His absolute righteous holiness. But there is also the fact that each day, with each decision and each action, we are molding a character. We have free will and we are responsible for the decisions we make, and therefore responsible for the characters we develop in making our decisions. How many careless words must we utter before it becomes a habit and a character trait?
A distressful circumstance can be handled with grace and wisdom, or mishandled by engaging in intemperate or extreme behavior. And how we handle a major crises often depends on how we have handled the little ones. The Lord expects us to build strong characters, and permitting “careless words” or “little faults” to rule our days does not do it.
A good illustration of this is the way Saul and David each handled crises. Saul carelessly disobeyed the Lord's commandment concerning sacrifice, and for that he was to lose his kingdom. The Bible says, “Samuel said to Saul, 'You have acted foolishly; you have not kept the commandment of the LORD your God, which He commanded you, for now the LORD would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. But now your kingdom shall not endure. The LORD has sought out for Himself a man after His own heart, and the LORD has appointed him as ruler over His people, because you have not kept what the LORD commanded you." (1 Samuel 13:13,14).
But Saul evidently still does not make the connection between his carelessness and his losing his kingdom. Instead, he blames David, the man God chooses to replace Saul, for his troubles. During the remainder of Saul's life, he would spend much energy in trying to kill David, continuing to exercise carelessness with respect to his life and decisions. David, however would exercise great caution in his decisions, wisely seeking to make them out of respect for God and His will. Though Saul was trying to kill David, when David had opportunity to kill Saul, he would not because God had made Saul king. God would give the kingdom to David on His terms. David would wait for that. As David said to Saul, "Behold, this day your eyes have seen that the LORD had given you today into my hand in the cave, and some said to kill you, but my eye had pity on you; and I said, 'I will not stretch out my hand against my lord, for he is the LORD'S anointed.'“ (1 Samuel 24:10).
The contrast between Saul's carelessness and David's high regard for the Lord's will is very stark. It was true then, and is true today, that judgment will consist of reaping what we have sown: “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.” (Galatians 6:7-8). Do not be careless in how you handle the word of God!
All Is Not Lost
Well, what do we do? There are untold awkward moments in each of our lives where we uttered a careless word that we ought not to have spoken, or done some “small” thing that wasn't exactly proper. At the judgment, am I going to hear recited all those things I have ever done, most of which I have probably forgotten about a long time ago? Will I be held accountable and condemned by every one of them?
Yes.
Or no.
It depends.
“Yes” if I must face the consequences of the choices and decisions I have made as I developed a character that was prone to carelessness with respect to God and His will, not considering obeying Him as Lord as a very high priority in my life. The outcome of those things is eternal, spiritual death. “Therefore what benefit were you then deriving from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the outcome of those things is death.” (Romans 6:21)
But perhaps you are more interested in the “no” side of the question. Yes, we can avoid the disastrous, eternal outcome of those things. There is a way to avoid having to give an account for any and every careless word we have ever uttered. “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23). This is what the sixth chapter of Romans is all about. It is about overcoming sin. It is about being buried with Christ when we are baptized into His death. It is about coming up from baptism to walk in newness of life. It is about dying to sin and living unto righteousness. It is about obeying God from the heart.
Our sins, including “every careless word” are taken away by Christ. They are 'washed away” (Acts 22:16) and “forgiven” (Acts 2:38). It is by obedient faith in Christ and His sacrifice on the cross that we receive this hope. “...for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed; for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.” (Romans 3:23-26). Or, as David put it, and as the New Testament quotes: "BLESSED ARE THOSE WHOSE LAWLESS DEEDS HAVE BEEN FORGIVEN, AND WHOSE SINS HAVE BEEN COVERED.
BLESSED IS THE MAN WHOSE SIN THE LORD WILL NOT TAKE INTO ACCOUNT." (Romans 4:7,8).
And that is why the gospel is “good news”.
Well, that's not good. How many careless words have I spoken in my lifetime. Dozens? Hundreds? Thousands? Maybe I talk too much.
A “careless word” in this context is a word spoken rashly or carelessly without thought as to whether it is pleasing to the Lord or not. It may have been spoken in anger, or excitement, or exasperation, or under pressure, or in ignorance. The Scriptures warn, “This you know, my beloved brethren. But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger; for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God.” (James 1:19-20).
So, there have been many such words come from our mouths in a lifetime, and Jesus says that they each one will be considered at the judgment and we will either be justified by them or condemned by them. Well, the gospel is not “good news” for nothing. It is the answer to our dilemma. It is what is going to get us out of this mess we got ourselves into.
The Accumulation of Character
Why is God so particular about every minute thing we may have ever uttered? There are probably many reasons, including His absolute righteous holiness. But there is also the fact that each day, with each decision and each action, we are molding a character. We have free will and we are responsible for the decisions we make, and therefore responsible for the characters we develop in making our decisions. How many careless words must we utter before it becomes a habit and a character trait?
A distressful circumstance can be handled with grace and wisdom, or mishandled by engaging in intemperate or extreme behavior. And how we handle a major crises often depends on how we have handled the little ones. The Lord expects us to build strong characters, and permitting “careless words” or “little faults” to rule our days does not do it.
A good illustration of this is the way Saul and David each handled crises. Saul carelessly disobeyed the Lord's commandment concerning sacrifice, and for that he was to lose his kingdom. The Bible says, “Samuel said to Saul, 'You have acted foolishly; you have not kept the commandment of the LORD your God, which He commanded you, for now the LORD would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. But now your kingdom shall not endure. The LORD has sought out for Himself a man after His own heart, and the LORD has appointed him as ruler over His people, because you have not kept what the LORD commanded you." (1 Samuel 13:13,14).
But Saul evidently still does not make the connection between his carelessness and his losing his kingdom. Instead, he blames David, the man God chooses to replace Saul, for his troubles. During the remainder of Saul's life, he would spend much energy in trying to kill David, continuing to exercise carelessness with respect to his life and decisions. David, however would exercise great caution in his decisions, wisely seeking to make them out of respect for God and His will. Though Saul was trying to kill David, when David had opportunity to kill Saul, he would not because God had made Saul king. God would give the kingdom to David on His terms. David would wait for that. As David said to Saul, "Behold, this day your eyes have seen that the LORD had given you today into my hand in the cave, and some said to kill you, but my eye had pity on you; and I said, 'I will not stretch out my hand against my lord, for he is the LORD'S anointed.'“ (1 Samuel 24:10).
The contrast between Saul's carelessness and David's high regard for the Lord's will is very stark. It was true then, and is true today, that judgment will consist of reaping what we have sown: “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.” (Galatians 6:7-8). Do not be careless in how you handle the word of God!
All Is Not Lost
Well, what do we do? There are untold awkward moments in each of our lives where we uttered a careless word that we ought not to have spoken, or done some “small” thing that wasn't exactly proper. At the judgment, am I going to hear recited all those things I have ever done, most of which I have probably forgotten about a long time ago? Will I be held accountable and condemned by every one of them?
Yes.
Or no.
It depends.
“Yes” if I must face the consequences of the choices and decisions I have made as I developed a character that was prone to carelessness with respect to God and His will, not considering obeying Him as Lord as a very high priority in my life. The outcome of those things is eternal, spiritual death. “Therefore what benefit were you then deriving from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the outcome of those things is death.” (Romans 6:21)
But perhaps you are more interested in the “no” side of the question. Yes, we can avoid the disastrous, eternal outcome of those things. There is a way to avoid having to give an account for any and every careless word we have ever uttered. “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23). This is what the sixth chapter of Romans is all about. It is about overcoming sin. It is about being buried with Christ when we are baptized into His death. It is about coming up from baptism to walk in newness of life. It is about dying to sin and living unto righteousness. It is about obeying God from the heart.
Our sins, including “every careless word” are taken away by Christ. They are 'washed away” (Acts 22:16) and “forgiven” (Acts 2:38). It is by obedient faith in Christ and His sacrifice on the cross that we receive this hope. “...for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed; for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.” (Romans 3:23-26). Or, as David put it, and as the New Testament quotes: "BLESSED ARE THOSE WHOSE LAWLESS DEEDS HAVE BEEN FORGIVEN, AND WHOSE SINS HAVE BEEN COVERED.
BLESSED IS THE MAN WHOSE SIN THE LORD WILL NOT TAKE INTO ACCOUNT." (Romans 4:7,8).
And that is why the gospel is “good news”.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Resting, waiting, expecting.
I have recently returned from my second trip to Israel. God is so amazing and show me love and favor beyond what I deserve. The number one question that people have been asking is, "Did you have fun." Well, the honest answer is that I did not have "fun". God called me to walk in an area of obedience and be his hands and feet. I was GREATLY BLESSED for this obedience, but would not categorize the experience as fun. Being a desciple is not always about enjoyment and satisfaction, in fact it is usually the opposite. Joy comes from just being in the center of His will and that is enough. God gave me some new and fresh words in Israel and just to hear His voice is worth all the sacrifice-no matter where I am.
He is God over all, reigning supreme, in total control. So Why do we fear the economy, elections and things of this world. He will shake things up but as long as you are not the man who built his house on the sand you won't be moved by the tremors.
Holy spirit pour out a FRESH FIRE upon us. Once again wake up the sleepers and bring a new revelation to those who have forgotten--YOU ARE STILL GOD!
He is God over all, reigning supreme, in total control. So Why do we fear the economy, elections and things of this world. He will shake things up but as long as you are not the man who built his house on the sand you won't be moved by the tremors.
Holy spirit pour out a FRESH FIRE upon us. Once again wake up the sleepers and bring a new revelation to those who have forgotten--YOU ARE STILL GOD!
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Trust
The source of greatest stress for most of us is being disappointed by others. We want to be able to put our trust in those we love and care about. By trusting people we are misplacing our trust and placing an undue burden on the other party to fullfull our expectations. Only God can be trusted and never fails. Instead we should put them in the Father's hands and trust Him. Only our Father can meet and exceed our expectations EVERY time. So teach me to trust you more and not others. Let me be a person that is steady and dependent upon you to be who you want me to be--even if that's not what everyone else expects. Most of all help me to meet your expectations, Abba. May your kingdom come in my life today and forever.
What do you want me to do, say, be? Lead me--I'll move.
What do you want me to do, say, be? Lead me--I'll move.
Friday, August 22, 2008
His voice.
Today I am faced with a delimna. Someone close to me tells me that God has spoken to them that I should move in a certain direction in an important area of my life. I know that this person knows the voice of the Father, but I also know that this person has been walking in total disobedience to God's direction in more than one area of life. I have been praying that God would speak to this person, but did He or is this the enemy trying to trick me? So, I seek the Father and ask for His clear direction in all things. I trust no one but my Father. I will not take one step off the path He has set me on without His divine direction. I obey only ONE voice. I am so thankful Father that you let me test and prove you everyday. You turn the hearts of kings! You, Abba are sovereign and not the author of confusion. May your kingdom reign in my life today and in eternity. God you are amazing, you are supernatural, you are I AM and I AM NOT!
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Amputation.
As you walk the narrow way there will definately come a time when you are faced with the a choice. Are you going to compromise God's principles in your life or will you stand firm on His promises even in the face of incredible pressure. Sometimes you have to cut off people and habits in order to keep yourself from temptation. "But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea." Matt. 18:6 My Pastor gave a wonderful analogy using the story of the hiker who amputated his arm. He didn't want to live without his arm but it was necessary for his survival. If only we felt that way about obedience--like our lives depended on it. Abba, show me what areas of my life need to be amputated. Give me the courage to let go of those areas. I love you--May your kingdom come on earth and in my life. May your perfect will come swiftly like a rushing wind. May the bowls in your throneroom overflow with my petitions and may they accelerate your purposes on earth. Complete that which you have started. May no act of disobedience from me stand between you and your perfect plan.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)