"For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under Heaven." Ecclesiastes 3:1

I love that Jesus spent time with children. He loved them so very much. You know kids have a way to "make" us slow down..even when we don't want to. Even if you don't have children, I am sure you have been around them enough to know that they have no "schedules" or "agendas."

Kids only know when it's "time to have fun" but never know when the fun ends. I learned this the hard way when I used to schlep four kids to Chuck E. Cheese. Til this day I believe this place was sent from Heaven. Really. Where else can your kids run like wild animals and wear themselves out while you can sit at a table and watch! I tried going down the tube once or twice but I almost got stuck, so that was the end of that. Seriously, it was a great break for me. And the kids loved it.

But what always amazed me was the fact that children have no concept of time. And when you mix a bunch of kids together they seem to get along great..except for the few that "have to have their way." For the most part, kids have no walls up, nor do they have expectations. They just wanna have fun..kinda like that song from back in the day, "Girls just wanna have fun"..well "Kids just wanna have fun."

If you're a person like myself that grew up too fast, had to be responsible way too soon, and kind of missed the innocence of "havin fun", it's never too late. My prayer for almost a year has been, "Lord, make me a kid again." And He has. I have had so much fun, I don't even know where to start. One of those moments was riding around with my son at around midnight right next to the raging river..that may be a little wild fun..but hey, it was fun! Then him and I got coffee on the way home and laughed so hard we cried. Why? Just because our laughing sounded so funny. I think it was God tickling us pink..He was answering my prayers to make me a kid again.

You see, the Kingdom of God belongs to those that come like little children. And I am sick and tired of being a stuffy, super-spiritual, gotta-have-it-altogether kinda boring Christian. Yeah, I know I have responsibilities..but trust me, I am OVERLY responsible. God wants me to have some fun..and you, too. Most of all, He does not want us ROBBING our children of THEIR fun and childhood, just because we are ALL GROWN UP. Please, if you're hard on your child, stop right now. Ask God to heal YOU so you may not rob THEM.

I did this for years to my children. Cook, clean, homework, bible studies, church, work, work, work, work..no fun. Thank GOD for my HUSBAND (who didn't have a fun childhood either)but he MADE sure the kids had a great time. I would always fuss and say, "They have work to do." Until God got a hold of me..and corrected me. I will never forget what He said to me: "Remember, these are MY children on LOAN to you." WHOA. Talk about being scared...scared straight though. It changed me for the better. I do not wanna be workin' God's kids to the bone! But the beauty of this is... I am also a child of God..no matter how old. And so are you.

I challenge you to watch kids this next week. And let their carefree spirits draw you into the freedom of peace, love, security, and acceptance that Christ wants for all of us. It's no wonder satan attacks these innocent little vessels so much..they are so pure and beautiful. And we know what the Word says..."Only the pure in heart shall see God."



Father, help me to be a child in Your arms. And help me, Dear God, to never quench the spirit of an innocent child still trying to find their way in this big, scary world. Quite the contrary, let me lead a child into your Presence. Better yet, Lord, help a child LEAD ME there. Amen.


DEDICATED TO EVERY CHILD WITHIN US..EVEN IF SHE HAS BEEN LOST, HURT, OR ABANDONED.

Raging Waters

"His feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and His voice was like raging waters." Revelation 1:15


I have always wondered about this particular verse. I had no problem with the feet part...and I love how this verse sets aside "refined in a furnace" for us. I believe the feet represent our walk..and our walk is ALWAYS being refined in the furnace of affliction! Amen! However..the part about raging waters always made me pause..and wonder. Until this past week. Let me explain.

As we all know, flood waters have come to Jersey, overflowing one of the rivers most of us grew up around. And like never before, the Passaic River is on a rampage. For those of us that have visited the site, it is most spectacular...that word is the only one I can come up with. The way the mist hits the rocks and sprays upward..the fast moving current..and the fact that the water has surpassed its banks and flooded streets, parks, and is almost at the bridge level is far too much for our minds to understand.

But NOTHING compares to the SOUNDS of the RAGING waters going over the Falls. If it weren't for the 5-0 (police) I would take up my blankets (and 9mm--JUST kidding) and sleep outside those Falls. The sounds are too glorious to sit here and describe. You would have to experience it yourself to grasp the event. I received a "revelation" about what is written in Revelation, thank God. It was not so much what I HEARD that moved me....no...no....no. It was what the noise DID INSIDE of me that grabbed me and pulled me into such a deep place with GOD.

You see, those sounds...the cracking of water plummetting 80 feet downward displayed one thing to me: POWER. And that is what GOD showed me. His voice, when it speaks, the voice of "raging waters" exudes POWER just in its projection. OUR LORD"S VOICE OF RAGING WATERS SPEAKS OVER OUR LIVES TODAY. When the enemy comes in (...ha ha how awesome is this..)LIKE A FLOOD..the LORD will raise HIS standard against him. I believe like never before that when the LION OF THE TRIBE OF JUDAH ROARS OVER US.....EVERY SATANIC POWER IS BROKEN THAT HAS SURROUNDED US AND IT HAS TO FLEE.

I have been under several different attacks in the past few weeks...too deep to describe. I sought my help in prayer and fasting before my God. There were times I was too weak to fast..but guess what..the VOICE OF RAGING WATERS spoke to others, and they fasted on my behalf..or prayed fervently (without my asking)..and here I stand today-COMPLETELY LIBERATED. How humbling. How amazing. How priceless is that Precious Voice that roars over me. And simultaneously, as He ROARS against my enemies, He lulls my spirit to rest like a baby in its Father's arms...while singing over me (Zephaniah 3:17). I have been restored.

How about you? Do you find yourself in a current of temptation? How is living holy going for you? It is not so easy sometimes..not when this world TOTALLY contradicts everything we believe in. It can weigh us down..consider Abraham and Lot..how the Bible says they were tormented in their "righteous spirits" due to the evil of their day. What about Christianity? Have some saints hurt you by their actions, their words, their lack of sensitivity to your pain? Forgive them..as Christ forgave you..and allow the Lord to handle it.

Until then, never, ever, ever forget that HIS LOVE TUMBLES DOWN OVER EVERY ROCK IN OUR LIVES THAT THREATENS TO ANCHOR OUR SOULS TO THE BOTTOM OF THE RAGING WATERS. AFTER ALL, HE IS THE ROCK, AND THERE IS NO ROCK LIKE JESUS TO "BASH" OUR ENEMIES AND TURN THEM INTO FINE DUST.

Lord, give us a deep understanding today of how wide, how deep, and high, and how long your love washes over us.


XtremeFaith

Zealous for God

"His disciples remembered that it is written: Zeal for your house will consume me." John 2:17




One of the definitions of zeal is: "Marked by fervent partisanship for a person, cause, or ideal." I would say that is exactly how Jesus felt about His Father. He was fervent about His Father's business here on earth. Seeing how Jesus overturned the money changing tables and drove out the merchants with whips (made of cords)..I would say he was definitely zealous.

I have been zealous for my Father's Kingdom here on earth. Often times, my zeal has gotten me into trouble. In my "zeal" to see His Kingdom here on earth run the way that His Word instructs, I have often put my "zealous" foot in my mouth.

This is not to minimize or state that zeal is wrong..no way. In the right hands, with the right heart, zeal drives a person to "right the wrongs" found in Abba's Kingdom. However, love should always be the motivating factor. A rule I have learned from the Lord is to take my feelings to Him first in prayer. I seek Him. I wait on Him. And then if I get the "ok" from the Lord, I carry on.

In those times where I was in His perfect will, fruit came from the situation. In other cases, when I acted in my "flesh" and allowed my zeal to be a lashing, well, no fruit came out of it. Then I had to go back to God, confess my sins, and ask for forgiveness. Afterwards, I had to go to the person I hurt and ask them for forgiveness as well. I have learned that God is much more willing to forgive than the family of God! So I try not to do things the hard way anymore LOL!

What about you? Have you ever had a passion in your heart so fierce that it drove you to confront someone about an issue in their lives? What was the fruit of that? Whether or not a person receives your correction is not the measurement. Peace is how we measure whether what we did was from God or not. If peace (true peace from God, not manufactured peace to hush the convictions of the Holy Spirit)reigns in our hearts, then most likely, we have had the privilege to be used of the Lord.

Lord, in our desire to please you, and in our zeal to see your Kingdom come, may we examine our hearts for cleanliness. Let no ugly spirit nor any ulterior motive drive our hearts to bring forth correction. May love be what drives us to restore another back on the path of righteousness. Father, forgive us where we have hurt others in our quest for truth. May your love bind our hearts together. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

XtremeFaith

Despair

"From the ends of the earth, I cry to you for help when my heart is overwhelmed. Lead me to the Rock of towering safety." -Psalm61:2







Ladies, have you ever felt despair? I am sure we all have at one moment or another. I feel despair everytime I hear of another earthquake, which has come more than I would like in these last months. Threats of tsunamis all over the Pacific Rim had me on edge, as 3/4 of my family reside there. I had to really search out the Lord's comfort in these past few days. I am thankful that He freely gives it to us.

King David had many reasons to feel despair. His son was after him to kill him and take over his kingship but instead, his son was killed. David mourned, like any loving parent would, the death of his son. Countless situations arose in the "man after God's own heart" time and time again, but he always sought the Lord in prayer and praise. This verse begins with despair, but ends in a knowing of where to run when we feel it.

I do not like the way despair feels. I don't even like the way it sounds! It's too much like "dis-repair." What it means, though, is to lose all hope. Do you ever feel that way about a situation? Maybe your marriage, your health, your finances, your children, or just life? Please do not allow despair to settle in. Recognize it, take it before the Lord in prayer (the Rock that is higher than we are) and give Him time to work it out.

It has been my experience that God does not always answer the way I want him to, but He always, without fail, brought peace to my life. Sisters, nothing on this earth that we can buy can ever replace peace of mind, heart, and soul. I think of the tragedy that just struck the nation of Chile. With all the possessions lost, wouldn't it be safe to say that those lovely people just want "peace of mind" right now? God is there to give it to all of us in despair.

I have known despair way too many times in my life. I used to let it linger, and linger, and linger. Until I learned the "art" of meeting with God. Right now, it is 1:56 am. I was feeling despair a short while ago about many situations happening. I closed my eyes, took a deep breath in, and just meditated quietly on God. The problems are still there, but peace flooded my soul. I gave each subject to the Lord one by one. And after each one, I said, "Lord, this is too much for me. Please take it." Oh the wonders of God! He gladly exchanged my sorrow for HIS PEACE.

I wanted to share this with you, precious sister. Don't let despair linger. It is a dangerous emotion that wants to rob us completely of hope in Christ. Let's meet with our Creator, share with Him the depths of our souls, and expect Him to flood our hearts with unspeakable peace.

Do it today.


XtremeFaith

Proverbs 18:21

I like this photo. No, not the "laser gun" he is holding. And not because he is the foul-mouthed, action packed Bruce Willis. It's what the picture says:

"Keep talking. Maybe eventually you'll say something that will reverse all the other stuff you just said."

Have you ever had someone say things to you that you wish you could "forcefully" make them retract? I sure have. Words are exactly what Proverbs say they are, life or death.

I would be much more lenient to forgive a smack on the face than ugly, heated words. Once they are out of a mouth, they cannot be taken back. Have you ever said something, that in the midst of those words coming out, you felt instantly convicted to...well, to shut up! I have. And unfortunately, I did not take heed of the warning.

Somewhere in the Word of God it talks about words being like sweet morsels...good while they are "going down." This may be referring to gossip, but we can look at it as speaking out of turn. It feels "so good" while we are saying it..dishing it out..but soon, those words can come and haunt us.

I want the prayer of my heart to be this today: "Lord, let me be really quick to listen and very slow to speak." This is my prayer for all of us. Sisters, we never know what unkind words can do to a person who is on edge. Can I testify?

Around 22 years ago, there was an old friend of mine that had done something terribly wrong to me. I decided to write her a letter "about herself." Years later, we ran into one another.


I was able to apologize to her, recounting how hurt I was. And she replied to me that she considered taking her life after she read my letter. This friend kept a .22 in her purse at all times. Imagine the fear that I felt knowing that due to my own selfishness in "letting her have it", she could have reached in her purse..and that blood would have been on my hands. Even worse, my foolishness could have gotten me killed. I was not saved but the lesson still stands.

It's not worth the gratification of mere moments to cut someone down, or have "one-up" over them to have a quick, poison dipped response. Let our words be seasoned with grace and mercy...and occasionally the salt of rebuke..but carefully weighing it before the Lord. I have made many, many mistakes in this area. I like what one wise sister recently told me, as we chatted about this weakness I have. In the case when I am not sure what response is necessary, she simply said, "When in doubt, don't."



Let's trust God and leave vengeance to Him alone. Let us pray:

"Lord, there are times I want to blast someone with my tongue. I want to give them a good lashing for hurting my feelings or humiliating me. I feel the instant desire to get even and give back to them what they gave out. Father, help me to be like Jesus, who humbled Himself to the depth of humiliation like none of us ever experienced. The King of Glory endured insults, beatings, and accusations..all the way to the Cross. For me. So I could have the power...over my tongue, through the Holy Spirit. Precious Spirit, take control of my tongue. Teach me to weigh my words first, then to speak. Or just be silent. Let this be my act of worship to you today."

XtremeFaith