Summer

Hi ladies!

     I'm really seeking the Lord about His will about some things, and this blog is one of them.  I'm taking a break for the summer, but check back every now and then to see what is happening.

Blessings,  Pat

Bob Carlisle “Getting Stronger"

 
I heard Bob Carlisle’s song, “Getting Stronger” the other day and have had this blog on my mind since then (website and lyrics below).  I thought of how the enemy lies to Christians saying because of their mistakes or weaknesses people will never see them as strong Christians.  The other lie he tells us is  you cannot be used because you don’t have it “all together”.  Whatever that means. 

I am here to declare…if you are on your knees (as the song lyrics say) and in God’s Word,  you are getting stronger, because the Lord is making you stronger – in Him, not in yourself.  

Maybe last month, or even yesterday, you didn’t feel strong. Maybe you gave in to discouragement, depression, or self-pity, or even sin. Don’t let the enemy tell you you are a failure.  Today is a new day. Ask for forgiveness for lack of faith and ask the Lord to increase your faith today.  Don’t allow guilt to keep you from the progress the Lord is making in your life.

Read Hebrews chapter 11.  It is one of the most encouraging chapters in the Bible on how to get stronger…by faith.

By Faith They Overcame

Hebrews 11:30-34

³⁰ By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they were encircled for seven days. ³¹ By faith the harlot Rahab did not perish with those who did not believe, when she had received the spies with peace.

³² And what more shall I say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon and Barak and Samson and Jephthah, also of David and Samuel and the prophets: ³³ who through faith subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, ³⁴ quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, became valiant in battle, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.

I know the Lord is changing me every day.  I believed it first even when I didn’t feel it, now I can feel it.  I can feel the strength and the change.  Not in strength in myself, but faith in His strength.

(This is the YouTube website to cut and paste into your browser).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E73XJl1oNfU

GETTING STRONGER by Bob Carlisle
I used to lay awake at night
Wondering was I wrong or right
I was a prisoner of my fear
Only you

I was a kind of man who'd build a wall
And be the biggest fool of them all
Had a hard time letting go
Till I was broken

Look me in the eyes
Tell me what you see
I'm not the same man
That I used to be

If you see me on my knees
It's not because I'm weak
I'm getting stronger
If you see me start to cry
You'll know the reason why
I'm getting stronger

Well I find myself face to face
In the presence of amazing grace
And I it's all I ever wanted to be
Only you

Look me in the heart
Tell me what you see
I'm not the same man
That I used to be

If you see me on my knees
It's not because I'm weak
I'm getting stronger
If you see me start to cry
You'll know the reason why
I'm getting stronger

Another song by Bob Carlisle is also a powerful encouragement is “We Fall Down”.  The YouTube I have below is very moving.  Just cut and paste it into your browser.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=saYYm1CkX3M&feature=plcp

Getting stronger with my sisters in the Lord!

Blessings,   Pat

Songs of Victory

In the New King James Version, verse 7 of Psalm 32 reads,

“You are my hiding place;

You shall preserve me from trouble;

You shall surround me with songs of deliverance”.

The Living Psalms version reads,

“You are my hiding place from every storm of life;

You even keep me from getting into trouble!

You surround me with songs of victory”.

Psalm 50:6 in the Living Psalms reads,

“Call upon Me in the day of trouble

and I will deliver you.

You shall glorify Me”.

I’ve heard my husband (who is a pastor) on more occasions than one say, “I’m not hearing your faith”.  Or, “Where is your faith in this situation?”. He has even said that to me at times when I let the situation become bigger than it should be.

Some of you know the story of the “Giant” in my life. I had allowed a situation over the years to become a giant, just like the one in the Old Testament story 1 Samuel 17 of David and Goliath.  Remember it?  The Israelites were so afraid of Goliath, a Philistine.  Goliath was 9 feet 9 inches tall. His coat alone weighed 126 pounds.  Quite intimidating!

But…David was not afraid. He had confidence in the Lord.  Some of his quotes are:

“Let no man’s heart fail because of him (Goliath);

your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.”

and

“You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. 

But I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts,

the God of the armies of Israel, who you have defied. 

This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand…” 

(Read the rest of the story.)

David spoke his faith in God. He didn’t go around mulling over the problem. I allowed this giant to overwhelm me. When the Lord showed me this about my giant, He said, “When you  did that, you diminished my power over the situation”.  That was over a year ago. And now, when I see that giant coming and taunting me, the Lord brings the story to my mind again.  That is when my faith speaks, “In the name of Jesus, I command you to shut up.” 

2 Corinthians 10:5 says we need to “cast down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ…”

The enemy throws arguments at us and exalts the problem above God.  That is what we need to take authority over.  That is the Goliath we need to slay.  We don’t slay people, we slay the enemy.

Ephesians 6:12
For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

Sometimes I think we focus and talk about the problem more than we talk about our faith in the God of solutions.  I know I have.  But, the Lord wants to change the way we think and talk. This is one of my “R”s, Renew our mind.

He wants us to thank God for the solution, not just pray the problem over and over again.

I read somewhere the other day that said, we need to go to the Bible and find out what the Lord says about whatever situation we are going through.  Then, pray His Word, which is His will and then we will have the confidence that He hears us.  Then we can thank Him for the solution.

So many Christians just don’t live in victory. We continually struggle with the same problems year after year with no song of deliverance in sight.  I know I have been one of those in the past. I’m still bringing down some of them. However, the struggles don’t last as long any more because I found the lyrics to the song, you might say – The Word of God.

Sing the song of Deliverance.  Our God is able!  

Blessings,  Pat