The Job Thing

Still processing and truly wanting to understand the Job story. God is God and obviously HE must give permission for satan to touch one of His (God's) children...so why?

My thoughts shifted to David and how God says David is a man after His own heart. I know that a lot of the Psalms are attributed to David. David committed a huge sin that we can read all about...yet God calls him a man after His own heart.

What I see in David is a man that realized his sin and confessed it and asked for God's mercy. When the child of his sin was struck sick, David fasted and prayed and asked God to spare the child. God never removed the consequences of David's sin. But God did replace the child and David and God moved forward in their relationship.

Did Job ever cry out for mercy from God and ask for deliverance? God finally spoke to Job and pointed out a lot of Job's mistakes in dealing with his suffering. And God still blessed Job more in the end than the beginning. Job learned a lesson.

So what do I get from all this....when satan strikes....go to the knees and beg for God's divine intervention. He is the only one who holds the power. He can crush satan and halt him in his tracks. And God can deliver me....what power!

My verse....Psalm 91:15 "She will call upon me and I will answer her...I will be with her in trouble, I will deliver her and honor her. With long life I will satisfy her and show her my salvation.”

Still in awe of His mercy and grace....
Arla

God is Faithful!

God is faithful....even when I am not!

I am so amazed by God and His never ending mercy and grace! I praise His name! In January I claimed my word for 2011 to be FEARLESS. I knew from past experience that I have lived too much of my life in FEAR. Afraid of the "what ifs" I have lived paralyzed and obviously lacking in faith. I could not move forward as the enemy confronted me at every turn. And I was oh so afraid of repeating past mistakes.

Yesterday as I sat in the Nail Salon with Kylea preparing for the big day of Shanna's wedding the movie with Evan as Noah building the ark in the current century was playing. One part of the movie really struck me this time. "God" was talking to Evan's wife and I am not quoting the words exactly but the just of what He was saying to her and I heard God speaking to me was that when we pray and ask for something God does not just strike us on the head with it but gives us the opportunity to display it.

My word that I claimed this year was FEARLESS. So God has not struck my heart with this unimaginable amount of courage but rather He has given me opportunity after opportunity to display it.....in my personal relationships and now in my life occupation. The question is am I going to live FEARLESS or fail in trusting HIM once again?

I keep going back to my crutch which at this point I am proud to claim is scripture in Psalm 91. Verse 1 and 2 "He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, 'He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust." Verse 5 "You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday." Verse 14 and 15 "Because she loves me, says the Lord, I will rescue her; I will protect her, for she acknowledges my name. She will call upon me, and I will answer her; I will be with her in trouble, I will deliver her and honor her."

The other message HE spoke to me came from the book our neighborhood group is reading. The mom was talking about praying for her teenage son for years and having trouble waiting on the LORD to answer. She stated that God must have known and listed several verses concerning waiting on the LORD. My favorite is Isaiah 40:31 "They that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk and not faint." I love it that the verse does not contain the words that follow in the song "Teach me Lord to wait" I don't want any more lessons in waiting! I want answers! :)

I am.....
Awed by HIS mercy and grace!
Arla

Much Blessed....

Just have to take a moment and express the gratitude I feel for the love HE has so lavishly shown me. As I reflect on my life and all that HE has done, I am simply amazed. Such an awesome God who loves me in spite of myself, who never gives up when I fail and fall time and again....
Life is definitely on the uphill these days. Time in the valley has once again passed. I am so looking forward to the mountain top experience that lies just up ahead. My prayer is that I remain in Him and maintain this close fellowship while on the mountain. I want to have learned and grown so that I don't have to travel the valley again.
Just praising His name...HE is the reason for this season...not just Christmas but the true joy I am experiencing first hand right now. Is this finally an answer to a long prayed prayer....I am so hoping and believing....Praise YOU Father...YOU alone are worthy....
Waiting to SEE.....
Awed by His mercy and grace,
Arla

When Was the Last Time.....

When was the last time you considered all that Jesus has done for you? When was He last transfigured before your eyes? Beth Moore asked that question in the video session 5 of Jesus the One and Only....

As the question has echoed in my mind....I thought about the scene in Heaven on that day so long ago.....as Jesus was spit upon by the solders and flogged again and again...mocked....the very Son of God....and the angels expectantly waiting....any minute God would send them forth to right the gigantic wrongs being committed on the earth that day....and they waited....and they waited.....what kind of God would allow all that happened that day to His only son.........

The kind of God that loves you and me so much...He wrote us a love letter...and calls us Beautiful.....He listens from Heaven for us to speak His name....never too busy....never grows tired....never sleeps......always ready to hear and answer.......now that's true love!

Awed by His mercy and grace,
Arla

Seven Giveaways

Nault's Nook is hosting seven spectacular giveaways! You have got to go over and check out her Fall-Tacular giveaways! From a $200 Visa Gift Card to a Kitchenaid Standing mixer.....these giveaways are great! I've entered to win the gift card here, the mixer here, and some cute vases that I would use in my daughter's wedding here! Just go check out her blog to enter all of these giveaways.....Nault's Nook Blog!

Watch It!

Yay! This one is a funny... I love it when God shows me things through humor rather than personal, brutal, experience...

A week or so ago my two daughters and I attended a wedding. There were lots of friends and family in attendance. I have a dear cousin whom I adore and really, she is a role model to me. She is the mother of three beautiful children who have all grown up and married godly mates and now are raising their families in church! Can I get an AMEN to that! I often seek her counsel on child rearing issues. I so want my family to have that closeness she shares with hers.

Any way, so these three children all had babies of their own a couple of years ago. Her daughter has another child a little older than the two year old(as of tomorrow, Happy Birthday Kloee!) She is the most adorable child with her chocolate brown eyes and head full of dark hair. I don't get to see these babies often, Christmas, Thanksgiving, etc. I was talking to Nonie, my cousin and admiring Kloee and patting her on the back when she looked me dead in the eye and said "Watch It!". You can imagine my surprise and then, of course, we all broke into laughter. You see, Kloee had been "taught" to say this to a particular pesky family member. I'm sure Kloee found me pesky in that moment and just reacted naturally.

I was in no way offended. You see, I had first hand experience of the same. My mother taught my Shanna, as a toddler, to tell Papa to "Get Gone" when he was bothering her. One day we were seated in Arby's near the door eating when a gentleman entered. My then adorable 2 year old smiled and waved "Hi!" to the stranger. Charmed by her dimples and friendliness the man approached the table and patted her on the back. Well, apparently she felt he had gotten a little too close. She threw up her hand, as if pushing him away and told the man to "Get Gone!"

As I reflected over these moments, I wondered how often my natural reaction is driven by past experience with no real maturity or truth. The brokenness caused during the traumatic experiences of life developed certain self defense mechanisms. For my own protection, I lived in walls or should I say live within walls that are often hard to break through. When I have not dealt with the real issue, I have held on to the brokenness and thus not learned the truth God so wanted to reveal.

Praise God, I don't have to stay there. Jehovah Rapha is ready, willing and so able to heal me and teach me truth. I don't have to live the victim any more. During those moments God gave meJeremiah 17:14 "Heal me, O LORD, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved: for thou art my praise." Sadly, I don't always live it, but God gently reminds me through little mouths like Kloee's.

I have issues to deal with and if I will give them to Him, He will open my eyes and show me His truth and how to apply it. Armed with His Word, I can then more appropriately respond to those life moments rather than simply reacting. I want to be so filled with Jesus His way is my natural reaction.

Awed by His mercy and grace,

Arla

Busy-ness vs Worship

Have you ever been driving somewhere in particular and when you arrived at that place could not remember how you got there? Pretty scary! As women, we often take on so much responsibility...husband, children, elderly parents, close friends, work. So many people that we love and cherish in our lives and we so want to give to them in every way possible. We have so much churning in our brain that we often function on auto pilot.

Often I have wondered how I arrived at a particular place in my relationship with God. I am so in love with Jesus. I am committed in my prayer life. I am reading His word....then I wake up one morning and it seems I have drifted away?! I don't feel that same ever present hand guiding the way. Suddenly, I am in the driver seat asking His blessing on all that I am doing. I'm not feeling His presence in everything that I say and do....

Then it dawned on me....as I assume more and more responsibility in good things, I am stealing from my time with HIM. I must not confuse my "busyness" about His work with true WORSHIP of Him. Time serving Him, while very important and necessary for the Kingdom's work, is NOT worship of HIM. I MUST set aside time each day to READ HIS WORD and mediate and let HIM speak to my heart.

Have you ever been part of a friendship where you seem to do all the listening? How did that relationship progress? My guess is that the bonds of friendship weakened over time. Our relationship with Christ, while we can NEVER lose our salvation, can become less close and personal if we don't devote that time to HIM...if we don't allow HIM to lead and us to follow...

Forgive me, Lord. I so want Jesus to be part of my life every moment of every day....

Pure and Holy Passion by Glad

Give me one pure and holy passion...

Give me one magnificent obsession...

Give me one glorious ambition for my life...

To know and follow hard after you.....

To know and follow hard after you....

To grow as your disciple in your truth...

This world is empty pale and poor

Compared to knowing you my Lord...

Lead me on and I will run after you...

Lead me on and I will run after you.....