Undercover!

One of Webster's definitions for the word "undercover":

"secret missions"!

YOUR MISSION IF YOU CHOOSE TO ACCEPT IT ...

IS QUITE POSSIBLE...

Lately I've been thinking and experiencing the peace of being undercover. It's only a secret mission to those who do not know the Holy Spirit's supernatural power while hiding out in the arms of God.

Psalm 91:1-3

As one who dwells in the protection of the Most High,

Abides by night in the shadow of the Almighty,

I say to YHWH, “My refuge and my fortress,

My God, in whom I trust

God is our shelter and our fortress in times of trouble! We should seek refuge there...

God has provided for us a very safe undercover spot!

Judges 9:15

...come and take refuge in my shade...

Psalm 91:4

...He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge.

Under God's wings we are safe!!

We are protected!!

We are ministered to by the Holy Spirit!!

Being sheltered in the wings of God doesn't remove whatever it is we are going through. This is a place of rest and peace in the midst of life's tribulations. The Holy Spirit will renew you while you rest under(the)cover. You will experience peace in spite of this chaotic world we live in, full of strife, grief, pain and sadness.


Run there often..I stay and relish in the Holy Spirit's comfort. Usually I'm in bed when I run to Him for cover...under my own covers...my own comforter which is delishishly silk...and warm, and inviting and snuggle-worthy. I picture myself sitting in God's lap with wings covering me up...and rest there until His work is done and I'm comforted yet again, invigorated, ready and able to live a joyful life, full of meaning and purpose, with a thankful heart for the work of the Holy Spirit.

The "secret mission" of the believer who needs to be comforted and protected is to stay...

UNDERCOVER with God.

--oOo--

I see you have decided to take this secret mission!!

You won't be sorry!

I never run out of things to share, but ...

...sometimes I love to share things from others.. not often, but today is a day that began with a devotion I now receive every morning. It resonated within my spirit and I just had to share with you. It was written by my friend, Larry, who I know from Christian Chat. Be blessed.

Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

Matt. 5: 4

Mourn, to grieve, have sorrow. There is much in this life to cause mourning, in our own state and in those around us. God gives us two options when it comes to sorrow. We can let it eat us up and cause bitterness or we can come to Him and be comforted.

The Bible speaks of two types of sorrow. One is referred to as godly sorrow and leads us down a productive, corrective path. The other is called worldly sorrow, which leads only to bitterness, anger, self-pity, etc. But we have to also know there are times when we are simply at a moment of overwhelming grief and sorrow. This is when God moves the strongest in His comfort.

When we mourn it shows our hearts have not become callous and insensitive. When God finds a good heart, not one stony, or full of weeds, or apathetic, He finds productive ground to which to bring about the bearing of good fruit. And our Father, who is full of mercy and compassion, will give us comfort and joy.

Father, blessed be Your most holy Name, truly You are full of compassion and tender mercies. Our hearts are full of gratitude and thanksgiving for Your abundant grace. We think of all the times we have experienced Your comforting, during times so difficult we thought we could not survive them. Yet You did far beyond what we expected You to do. This give us peace, and joy, knowing by experience Your words are true, Your promises to be trusted. May Jesus be exalted and praised! Amen and amen.

Are you willing...

Sometimes I think the Lord just wants to know our willingness to be obedient to His Word. All the while we know what He has left us in His Love Letter is for our good, but we have so much pride and rebellion, we rationalize just how we can bypass such instruction.

Over the years I have had quite a few experiences where I was convicted to 'do the right thing' - hard as it was because of certain circumstances. I buck and brawl, fret, whine and try to determine different outcomes...none good, of course. Why me? Why not someone else? Why now; it's so not good timing for me. Me, me, me, me. The Lord just doesn't stop the conviction either, it seems to get more pressing. My spirit isn't still and content...it works inside me to finally know what I knew from the onset of the conviction...."Yes, Lord. I will."

One example which may seem silly to you but really hit home to me in this vein was when I worked as the church secretary. For the couples retreat I put couples together into the cabins etc. People would request to be with friends they already had; most of it was easy work. But there was always one couple that no one wanted to room with. She was difficult..and she really was. Eventually everyone said they didn't want to be with this person. Usually there were four couples to a cabin...sometimes three.

So you see what's coming? Yep. "Karen, you can have these people in a cabin with you." NO NO NO not ME Please NOT ME!!! I want to be with MY friends not some difficult woman and her poor husband. PLEASE NO. Yea, we did the drill, pleading, begging, promising..and the same result...ahem missy! YOU. Bending, crying, seeing my selfish self for what I can be...okay,Lord, okay. Whew. Done deal. I cant say I had peace LOL, but was fine with it in the end. THEN guess what... they ended up not going because of something that I cannot even remember today. God just wanted to know if I was willing to follow His ways.

To obey is better than sacrifice

1 Samuel 15:1-23

Funniest thing is that I truly think six times out of ten, He then doesn't require the action from me at all. Evidently He just wants to know if I will bend my knee, die to self and move through the 'right' thing. Some things seem silly, some are HUGE to me. In retrospect in 35 years of having the Lord deal with my heart one would THINK that I'd get with the plan and just bend quickly. HA! You'd think I'd learn. Evidently I am still being shown how stubborn I can be, how much I do not want to put myself out there unless its really comfortable, and how selfish that really is.

Obedience is following instructions.
Obedience is submitting to authority.
Obedience is the humbling of pride.
Obedience is the response of love.

I want to share this weeks experience so you see how it works with the Lord and me. Don't think this is easy to do either, but some little conviction thing is resonating in me that I should share, so I will lest we have to go through yet another week while I fight with Him about doing so.

You all know my house has been for sale since January 3. You all know I've had to lower the price by $70,000 since then ...finally get an offer. It's a lawyer and then after his name on the contract it says.. "OR ASSIGNEE". I thot how interesting, he must be buying the house for someone else. Then it hit me! Wouldn't it just be like my son's ex-wife to want back in here now that it's all fixed up. Kind of like getting the last laugh on my son.

Boy did that kick in a lot of emotions...things like anger, annoyance, judging, bitterness, stubbornness and more. I told the Realtor the situation and said I want to know who is buying the house because I will not sell it to her. Gave him her name and her parent's names. I was vehement about this. So it was written into the contract that within five days of acceptance the name of buyer would be given to me.

There was a counter offer, another counter to that and then yet another one until finally I signed the last one. In the meantime of course the Holy Spirit was working on my attitude. I 'reasoned' with Him that sure, if she had tried to buy it before all this money was put into the remodel, that would have been fine with me. My grandson would live in the house he started out in, attend the best grammar and middle schools in Santa Rosa. BUT, no Lord,not now. Nope, nada. Aint gonna happen. Oh really? What about that little Kevin. What would be the best thing for him, not you and your bad attitudes and judgments? What about that? What about your stubborness, bitterness, anger? What about that? He called my bluff and reminded me that even if she had tried to buy it before the remodel, I would still have had the same bad attitudes. I would have said the same thing. Of course, He is right.

The heart starts to melt under such a conviction. The tears come, the sadness at my own behaviors and rebel-type ways. After 35 years of following Christ, how can I still have all this in me? Ashamed, I repent. Called to a higher place, I feel peace. I want Kevin to have his house back if she is the 'assignee.' I want Kevin to go to a good school and live in a very safe neighborhood if she is the 'assignee' on the contract.

I called my best friend and shared. Totally affirmed it to me. When the Realtor came that day I told him, I don't really care anymore if it is her, God and I were doing business this morning - of course I got tears in my eyes - and his filled. He said that morning he was taking his usual early morning walk in the vineyards by his home and was praying about the house and it came to him that he needed to share with me about forgiveness in this matter regarding her. We both just sat there with tears coming down our faces. I said I was glad God dealt with me alone first LOL. Another Christian affirming the work God had done in my spirit that morning.

Obedience is greater than sacrifice, but I often see it the same way. Obedience to God's ways is often quite sacrificial. We sacrifice our pride, our rebellion, our bitterness, our sin. Dying to self seems like a huge sacrifice at the time. Only later do we realize the wisdom of God's ways and conviction into these little or large crevices in our heart. Yet another heart surgery is performed. Yet another miracle of the supernatural way God works thorugh the Holy Spirit. Healing occurs. Peace at last..lifted UP by Him.

Keith Green wrote a song: To Obey is Better Than Sacrifice ~ It really says it all.

FIRST SONG ON PLAY LIST IS THIS ONE

To obey is better than sacrifice
I don't need your money

I want your life

And I hear you say that I'm coming back soon

But you act like I'll never return

Well you speak of grace and my love so sweet

How you thrive on milk, but reject My meat
And I can't help weeping of how it will be

If you keep on ignoring My words

Well you pray to prosper and succeed

But your flesh is something I just can't feed

To obey is better than sacrifice

I want more than Sunday and Wednesday nights

Cause if you can't come to Me every day

Then don't bother coming at allLa,la,la etc.
To obey is better than sacrifice

I want hearts of fire

Not your prayers of ice

And I'm coming quickly

To give back to you

According to what you have done

According to what you have done

According to what you have done

Birthday Thoughts

It's a few minutes past midnight

so technically yesterday 2/24 was my birthday.

I was thinking about my upcoming birthday the night before last. Thoughts included how I feel like I'm very young in spirit but betrayed by my true age. I reflected on the things I had done and hadn't done over my many years..the joys and disappointments -- my journey thus far and the future ahead.



Knowing I would be alone on my birthday, I could have taken the woe-is-me attitude, but determined that was not to be the case. I have so much to be grateful for that to complain about being alone would be a slap in the face for all God brings to my life.



So I awoke on my big birthday morning happy to be alive! Thank you Lord for another day, one you created for me.

Today is the day that the Lord has made, Let us rejoice and be glad in it!

OK, Lord - I WILL!

I plopped a nice pork roast in the crock pot and enjoyed that wonderful aroma all day long!! I knew I had a couple of small red potatos which would be done in a fast couple of minutes in the microwave when it came time to eat my birthday dinner. It was all so easy and quite tasty if I do say so myself. (You'll just have to take my word for it.) ;)

I had two phone calls wishing me Happy Birtday before 10 am. I am so blessed to have family and friends who care for me and make time for me. I had two more calls by 2 pm. Tons of well wishes on Facebook, in emails and snail mail has been arriving since Saturday from people who want me to know they care about me and wish me many blessings in the days ahead. I am so blessed in my relationships.

I was very aware of the Lord's goodness to me throughout the day. I am grateful His hand is on my life. He brought to mind some scripture that really changed my life around about five years into my walk with Him.

"I will praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;

marvelous are your works, and my soul knows very well."

Psalm 139:14

In Hebrew the word fearfully means with great reverence. The word wonderfully means unique, set apart, uniquely marvelous. I am a unique and individually made creation of the Most High and Holy One. What more esteem does a person ever need than the knowledge of the love and care of God Himself! He set me free with that knowledge. Free to be the me that He made..the one that would follow Him all of her days.

Jeremiah 29:13 assures me..."For I know the thoughts (purposes) that I plan for you. Thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give me a future and a hope."

So I get ready to go to bed in a few minutes having had a wonderful blessed day, cared for by my family, friends and the Lord God Almighty feeling like the masterpiece He created and rejoicing in the days He has planned for me. Peaceful and content am I on this birthday in the year of our Lord 2009.

How to achieve love and unity

So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved,
put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience;
bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you.

Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.
Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful.
Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, wih all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.

Colossiand 3:12-17 (NASB)

--oOo--

"Difficult moments ...seek God.

Quiet moments...worship God.

Painful moments...trust God.

Every moment...Thank God."

OK I DID IT!

I can't believe it! I actually took down my fall harvest decorations and put up Christmas. Now nicely packed away for the move are all the orange, browns and bronze colors and out comes the red, green and white making way for a shinier and brighter motif bringing forth the LIGHT of the World.

My favorite thing to unpack and hang is my Christmas Stocking. Its a knitted stocking in red, white and green stripes with my name knitted in there. It was a gift from my Godmother for my first Christmas ever! I am astounded that I haven't misplaced that all these long 65 years! Then a nativity set that was my mothers...Joseph got lost though.

I'm keeping it simple this year...no tree, no elaborate lights and just using what I have kept over the years (and I got rid of a ton of that while packing...off to Goodwill it went). I just saved some of my favorite things -- I think no more than 10. I did dress up the geese on the porch though..so cute.

I am learning simple. I am beginning to appreciate it so much. It's a much easier and peaceful way to live. As I've sorted though everything and I mean everything in the past couple of months, discarding the unnecssary, keeping only what I cherish or need, shredding til I'm shredding in my sleep all the papers of years gone by of my life and Jeff's, eating on a schedule, going to bed early and sleeping all night, becoming organized in all areas of my life I feel as though the weight of the world has been lifted off my shoulders.(And 40 lbs off my body) :)

Sure, the 'situations' still exist that cannot be reconciled quite yet, the lack of money, the tribulations of the world in just being alive in 2008 are extraordinary and yet I feel peace and joy, deep within. Thank you Christ Jesus. You came into the world in the most simple way. Let me learn from that.

"Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." (John 14:27 KJV)

But to His disciples He said, "My peace, I leave that with you; that is My legacy. My joy, I give that to you."

Healing

Every morning I receive a wonderful photo devotional from Kenn & Lori Stilger. I've known them online since 1995 or thereabouts. Kenn is a professional photographer, as is Lori, both devoted to Jesus. If you'd like to receive their devotional, write to them at heavnlyphotos@aol.com --(That's one of their photos above. Amazing isn't it!)

Today's devotion had a picture of Mt. St. Helens in Washington State. They spoke of visiting the site and seeing the healing that had begun in the volcano itself and the land nearby. The analogy was that our God is who causes restoration such as that -- as well as healing within us is a great God. Amen to that.

If you Google Images for healing you get quite an array of options for healing. You have salves for healing, crystals for healing, stones for healing, healing centers, pictures of books offered on self-healing, a healing tears necklace, healing essences, healing massage, silent healing, musical healing, healing herbs, olive oil healing and (had I known) healings using grapes! In the hundreds of images I viewed there were three of Jesus; one with a child, one with a body of people and one healing the blind man. All the rest were of self and product. The Great Physician ignored for the most part.

At any rate, as I thought about how God is an awesome God, our healer in matters of the heart and the body. While we prayed for Jeff's healing throughout his ordeal with MS, we were quite aware that God heals physically whom He will for this shelf life of approximately 75 years while here on earth, and yet aware that the reality was the outcome of our prayers would not be what we wanted...Jeff with us for many years to come.

<-------KEVIN, my brother (and Ryan a while back)

God healed my brother of multiple myeloma which was such a beautiful miracle for all of us who love him. His doctor shakes his head, all the people in the cancer center for those years along with my brother Kevin have all passed away from this disease. Kevin never took the chemotherapy which was advised but because he was only given six months to live and there was no guarantee that the chemo would even help, he declined. While Kevin lives with the complications that occurred due to the disease, he lives pretty well and enjoys his wife and children who were 8, 6 and 4 when he was diagnosed. Now Danielle is in college and Christopher and Ryan are in high school!!! We thank the Lord for this incredible healing.

He healed Jeff in a different process...as He took him away from us and to Himself. I know a renewal of Jeff's faith occurred and that's the greatest one a mother could hope for. I will see him again. I quote my friend Jim Wilkinson, who said "You will see Jeff sooner rather than later, Karen!" Talk about comforting me with encouraging words AND telling me I'm old in such a nice way! Ya just have to laugh.

Jeff had been legally and then totally blind in the last couple of years of his journey. For his last eight months he was in the hospital for two and a hospice home for four. We knew we were losing him that weekend...we knew it would only be a couple of days before we would be without him. His coloring had been terrible for the last year, he withered away for the most part, unable to move much, so gaunt and really no color on this once vibrant sun-loving guy.

Well, his friends had made big posters with collages on all three of the 'good ole days' and they took up the length of the bed and were about 3 feet high. Colorful and a great idea so as they visited they talked about the memories they had together. I added pictures of his son, Kevin. But Jeff never saw any of those.

I had read in a hospice book that often the patient will be found looking up as if seeing something, (they feel its a loved one or a group of people they know to help them to the next level, ie. they will die soon). So every time I saw Jeff straining that way I would ask..."What are you looking at, what do you see." He would always say, "Nothing." That last day before he died, his Dad was visiting him, his hospice volunteer buddy, John was there as well when I walked in. We all chatted and Jeff fell asleep. When he woke up we all said hello again and within a few minutes Jeff was looking up at his wall...I asked, "What do you see,Jeff?" His reply was, "It's all colorful there." (he was looking at the wall of photos). He asked what it was and I told him tons of photographs of he and his buddies and his son. All of a sudden I thot: WHAT? He can see that color? I went to the end of his bed and said, "Hey, Jeff. Can you see me down here?" He looked and smiled and said "Oh yea, I can see that blonde hair of yours!" :) TEARS immediately began streaming down my face, tears of joy that his sight was being restored...John was all teary eyed and his Dad just looked dumbfounded.

Eventually his Dad and John left and I took my place next to the bed to sit with my son and visit or pray over him while he slept. He nodded off again. I sat there just looking at my precious most handsome boy who had been such a great son to me...and I realized his color was back in his face! His cheeks were rosy! Then he awoke and we visited and yet again, another odd thing. His eyes had become cloudy from the blindness over the years but at that moment they were as clear as they had ever been. I was so happy to 'see' my son as he had 'been.' Those beautiful green eyes bright and shining. I didn't know what was happening at the time, but have come to realize that God was healing him for his homeward journey. WOW!

He passed away in the early morning the next day; home and fully healed with Jesus. And yes, I'll see him sooner rather than later, and that's fine by me.

I Am The God That Healeth lyrics
Artist - Don Moen
Album - The Best Of Don Moen

I Am The God That Healeth

I am the God that healeth thee

I am the Lord your Healer

I sent My Word and I healed your disease

I am the Lord your Healer

You are the God That healeth me

You are the Lord my Healer

You sent Your Word and You healed my disease

You are the Lord my Healer