Jackson And The Firm Foundation

As I approached the intersection near my house, I noticed a dead cat on my side of the road. It looked just like my cat, Jackson. In a split second, I not only noticed the cat looked like Jackson, but it also had a blue collar like Jackson’s as well. My heart sank. 

Jackson as a kitten.

Oh no! It can’t be. Not my Jackson! Would he have come this far from home? No, Lord, No!

I pulled around the block and parked. I thought about going home first but then I didn’t want to have to come back. Determined to be courageous, I walked around the corner. I asked Jesus to make me strong to face whatever I would find. I prayed with gusto with every step. I also reminded Jesus that yesterday I had read where He had given us power to raise the dead in His word. I don’t know what I would actually do, but I was preparing my faith to act.

First, I looked at the cat and its resemblance to Jackson. Then I made myself look at the collar. When I saw the collar was darker blue with little paw prints, I knew instantly it was not Jackson. Relief flooded my soul.

As I walked back to the car, I prayed for the family who had lost their pet. Then I thanked and praised God the dead cat was not Jackson. It was then, I heard the Lord speak,

“Mary Jane that is what is really within you. When the trial came, you turned to Me, you prayed, and you reminded me of My promises to you. Your firm foundation is secure in Me. Now walk forward in peace.”

All of the sudden I had a totally different reason to praise Him as I rejoiced in the victory. My hands flew up in the air but I didn’t care who saw. God had just revealed my true heart and assure me of my firm foundation in Him. I needed that assurance to move forward in faith and defeat the enemy’s lies that had creped in lately.

Sometimes, when we question what is deep within our hearts, God shows us what we need to know through our everyday lives. The true state of our heart’s foundation is revealed, when what is within us, is tired and tested. Our maturity in Christ will be evident in our action and reaction to stressful situations.

What is your foundation based on? The Word? Or the World? It is very risky to wait until you are in a trial or temptation to start with the right material. Trust has to be poured and cured or it will crack under pressure. Stressful situations will reveal what we believe to be true. Thankfully, God is willing and ready with no condemnation to help us move forward no matter what we may find.

 “For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God.”

2 Corinthians 1:20

Best Friends Forever

My life-long best friend, Teri, has been here visiting me from Alabama for the past two weeks. We have been best buds since the second grade so you could say she knows me well! I feel so blessed that we have persevered through all the ups and downs of our relationship because today, long-term friendships seem so rare.

Teri and I both have been going through some tough times lately so we decided a nice long visit would be just the thing to get us going again. Teri had driven about an hour of the seven-hour trip, when she phoned me to ask me to pray. The rain was so bad; she could barely see what was ahead of her.

As I prayed, I asked the Lord to protect and guide her first. Then, I got to thinking about the situation and I got a little creative too. I told the Lord that I didn’t want the people who really needed the rain to miss out. So… I reminded God of the time He parted the Red Sea for Noah and the Hebrew people. I asked Him, if he could part the storm and lighten the rainfall along the interstate. I stretched my arms straight out in front of me, then parted them to show God what I meant. As I thanked Him, I went back to getting the house ready for my friend.

About 3 hours later, my friend, called me back to give me an update on her progress. The first thing she asked: Was I related to Noah? I asked what did she mean. Then she told me how the storms had parted and went to either side of the interstate so she was able to drive safely through. I said you are kidding me and began to laugh. Then, I told her how I had prayed about the situation. She thought I was kidding too but I assured her I was not. We both laughed as our hearts filled with joy as we realized what God had done.

Teri and I were amazed and blessed at our special answer to prayer. God knew exactly how to start our visit off on a positive note and help us begin to overcome the negative mindsets that had gotten us down lately. God didn’t stop there. As we talked and sought His will together, He preformed one miracle moment after another during the whole time Teri was here. By the time she left today, we were sad to part but confident that we had been renewed for the days ahead.

Are you developing friendships that will last the test of time? If not, I encourage you to do so. Friendships are so important to our overall well-being. A close friend can lift us up and out of our negative mindsets. They can also help us find our way back to God again. When we do things alone, it is drudgery. But, when have a friend beside us, we are empowered to move forward.

The Oak Tree

From a Hallmark card I received this week

from a life-long friend:

I apologize, but I am new at the rules of writing and posting.
After posting the writing from a Hallmark card,
a writer friend advised to take down the post
without first contacting Hallmark for permission.

The Oak Tree

If you are going through trials and tests of faith lately like I have, then I hope you will find this message of encouragement a blessing as I did.

How blessed it the man who

Does not walk in the counsel of the wicked.

Nor stand in the path of sinners,

Nor sit in the seat of scoffers!

But his delight is in the law of the Lord,

And In His law he meditates day and night.

He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water,

And its leaf does not wither;

And in whatever he does, he prospers.

Psalms 1:1-3

Are Your Roots Bitter?

One of the key activities I do after a good rain is pull the weeds in my flowerbeds. No, this is not my favorite thing to do but it is the best time to do it. The ground is soft and the tops of the weed as well as the roots come out easily. I have learned if you can’t pull the roots out too then you are making extra work for yourself. The remaining roots will regenerate new weed growth very quickly. All the while you will be thinking… didn’t I just weed that bed?

First in the natural then in the spiritual…(I Corinthians 15:46)

Isn’t it the same way in the spiritual realm? The Rain of Revelation comes to us from the Scriptures about a root of bitterness. The rain could have come during our time alone with God, a penetrating sermon, or a close friend’s counsel. We know that something has to be done about our attitudes and actions. We have tried just forgetting about it or telling ourselves it really doesn’t matter anyway. However, trying to pull away the despised memory without getting to the hidden root cause means we will have to deal with the whole ugly situation when the hurt surfaces again. 

Paul mentions the ‘root of bitterness’ in Hebrews.

See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God;

that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble,

and by it many may become defiled;

(Hebrew 12:15)

How does bitterness start? By someone taking an offense and then choosing not to forgive. At times genuine wrongs are done to us and then we have to deal with the consequences. Other times, an incident is just a misunderstanding but we choose to believe that the action was intentional. Either case, if we continue to rehearse and nurse the wrong (while seeking others approval), then the root of bitterness will develop and spread. Kind of like a fisherman’s exaggerated stories about the size of his catch. If left unchecked, bitterness will manifest in every area of your life including our health. If we act forgiving on the outside without a change of heart on the inside, then the roots will remain and the bitterness will surface again. The longer the roots remain the deeper they will grow and the harder they will be to pull.

However, when we choose to begin the process of forgiving no matter what the circumstances are or how long ago it happened, then we free ourselves as well as the others involved. When we forgive, we do not leave any “heart” ground for the bitter roots to form and a new grace-filled relationship can begin again.

Do you have a root of bitterness in your life? If so, today could be a great day to begin weeding. If it seems too difficult for you to handle alone, then seek wise godly counsel.With grace, determination and perseverance, the weed can be eradicated forever.