What is that to you?

Expecting the Lord to share with me some great detailed answer I found myself being humbled by the Lord and He had put me in my place.

We’ve all been told before not to compare ourselves to others.  Knowing this I still find it tough not to do so.  I have a bad habit of thinking that if I’m not equal and lined up with everyone else then I’m doing something wrong.  The other day I questioned the Lord on what He has me doing at the moment and what He has me focused on.  I was not equal and in line with everyone else and it really bothered me because I could not understand the Lord’s request.  He did not explain to me His reasons behind where He was leading me to go.  So I questioned him and then the Lord simply responded with this……

John 21:21-22

²¹ When Peter saw him, he asked, “Lord, what about him?”

 ²² Jesus answered, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me.”

Basically the Lord was saying……. It’s none of your business what I’m doing with everyone else…Your business is what I’m doing with you! If I want all of you on the same page I’ll put all of you on the same page… Get your eyes off them and focus on what I’m doing with you!

http://dvinedesign.webs.com

Do What He Says

A Parable and Interpretation

The other day my 3 yr old brother knocked over a basket of clothing in my room that needed to be worked on and sewed.  I saw it tumped over and walked over to put the clothes back in the basket and back on the shelf where they belong.  I asked him to move and he would not.  I repeated myself and told him to please move so I could fix it.  He would not.  He’s only 3 and couldn’t understand why I needed him to move out of my way.  I just needed to fix what he messed up real quick and it wasn’t a big deal.  So then I raised my voice and he then threw a big fit and only slightly moved out of the way and when he did he threw himself on the floor and ended up bangin his head on my file cabinet.  So I felt bad that he got hurt but I thought  “see there… if you would just have moved like I told you to in the first place you wouldn’t have gotten hurt.  It wasn’t a big deal but you made it a big deal. ”

Interpretation

Afterwards the Lord brought me revelation and said.. ” see there…. recently I told you to move out of my way.  You got stubborn and rebellious and threw a fit.  It wasn’t a big deal but you made it a big deal and in the process you ended up emotinally hurt.  Move when I tell you to move, speak when I tell you to speak and do what I tell you to do when I tell you to do it or not to do it and if you do that and follow my instructions it might result in saving you from harm either spiritually, physically, mentally, or emotionally.  When I say to do or to not do something it’s for a reason.

So I’ve noticed that generally most of my pain is self inflicted… If I could learn to listen to the Lord and do only what He tells me to do then alot of my trauma and stress in life would cease to exist!

Cringe

The Lord gave me a new measuring stick.  When I was growing up I was surrounded by  filthy language.  My jobs were  full of co-workers that cussed like sailors etc… I was so used to it that it didn’t bother me.  In fact, I began to speak the same way without hesitation.  It was just life.. people spoke how they wanted to and well.. nobody cared.  Then when the Lord reached down and saved me filthy language started making me cringe.  My desire to speak that way or to hear it just made my spirit shutter.  I couldn’t help it.  I spent so much time with the Lord that more and more sinful things began to bother me really bad.  I didn’t want to be around sin at all. Then one day I started drifting away from the Lord.  I stopped spending alot of time with Him because life got in the way.  Then one day I walked into a room and a movie was playing.  The movie consisted of filthy language.  It no longer bothered me as much to hear it.  Then that’s when the Lord gave me a revelation and it consisted of a “new measuring stick”.  This is what the Lord showed me…

You are who you hang with.  If you hang out with Christ you will become more like Him.  Christ shutters and cringes at sin.. so the more you hang out with Him the more your spirit cringes at sin because He cringes at sin.

So the measuring stick is this… how much do you cringe?  Does the sight of sin bother you?  If you are at a point where to see or hear sinful things does not bother you.. then it’s an indication that you need time with the Lord.  That means I am not spending enough time with the Lord.  Because I’m becoming less like Him.  Our goal is supposed to become more like Him! So check yourself and I need to check myself on a regular basis to see where I’m at with the Lord.  I need to measure myself and when I notice myself becoming less bothered by sinful things… it’s time for me to go hang out with Christ some more.  Use the measuring stick!

All Lit Up!

(2 new posts.. 2nd post is below this post… “Burning With Jealousy”…)

I’m getting decorated and lit up….are you?

This is how the Lord described to me how He sees the process of what He does with us and what He sees in us……(note: this is what He does with all of us and there is a described vision and then there is an explanation for what everything represents–this is actually the one of the neatest descriptions the Lord has ever given to me about how He views us)

At one time I was a plain jane (Christmas) tree.. in fact I was all dusty and dirty and had bugs all over me.  I was nothing spectacular by any means.  Then one day…the Lord looked out into the forest and tried to find Himself a tree and there He found me… in the midst of other trees.. .I was plain, dirty, with bugs.  He said.. perfect..just what I was lookin for!  (He’s alittle crazy sometimes I think   ) So He took me out of the forest.  He got out salt and melted away all the slugs… yuck!  Then he took a fly swatter and smacked a bunch of bugs to death!  Then he took a wet rag and wiped off the dirt and dust.  Then He got his blueprint of plans on how to make me not so plain.  First he got out the lights to go around me and put those on. Then He wrapped a garland around me.   Then He looked in His box of decorations and stood back and looked to find the perfect location to put just the right uniquely designed decoration.  Then He took some presents and wrapped them up and placed them under me (the tree) He then stood back… and saw that I was all lit up, decorated, and completed.  I am now all that He had in mind to do with me when He first saw me. 

Interpretation…

We are all trees in a forest.  I’m a tree and you’re a tree.  He sees us when we are filthy with sin. (dust,dirt,bugs) Bugs can be bad attitudes, bad language, addictions, rebellion, ungratefulness…or whatever… You might say you contain none of this but I can guarentee you that every single person has Something they can “work on” to become a better person and more Christ-like!  He takes us… and He wipes off all that dirt from sin and cleans us up…  He puts lights on us to shine for Him (salvation- salvation gives you a certain glow that you did not have before)  The garland that He wraps around us represents something else special that he’s doing with each of us… This could represent…  our relationship with Him…or a new ministry job we are doing for Him…..Then He takes decorations and places them on us ( these decorations represent….. strength, character, perseverance, lesson of love, lessons of mercy, lessons of forgiveness etc etc etc) Everytime you learn a lesson or grow in an area and become more Christ-like He adds a new ornament to you.  When I have received a revelation and learn why and how I am to love an enemy and then I actually do that through my actions.. He takes out another special ball with a hook and places it on me…He does this with all of us.  Then He gets out the scissors and tape.. and He wraps presents and places the presents underneath us… these presents represent the “gifts” that we have.  Everyone has atleast 1 or more gifts/talents….or a blessing that He has in store for us!  Sometimes we don’t realize we have certain gifts till later in our lives (that’s why He wraps the gifts up… sometimes they are a surprise until the right time.. He lets us open a particular gift and use it)  We are not all immediately born with every gift that we have.  Sometimes our gifts take time to develop and be discovered… When the process of decorating is finally complete.. we are ready to live with Him in our mansions that He has waiting for us!  His word says…..

Philippians 1:6

⁶being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

Cleaning and decorating a tree takes time and it’s a process… You don’t just go out to buy a Christmas tree and it already comes decorated for you from the get go.  No.. you take it home..stand it up.. get out your decoration boxes… and it takes time to do.  It’s a process.  Certain things you put on first before you put on other things.. It’s always best to put the lights on first.  (Salvation.. then comes an open door for the Lord to teach you some incredible things.. but the introduction of a relationship with HIm comes first)

I’ve always had a hard time understanding why or how in the world He is able to look at us and treat us as though we’ve never done anything wrong (This lesson was in one of the previous blogs that I wrote).  I didn’t understand how to treat others that same way… but what He said was.. He’s NOT looking at our dirt!  He’s not focusing on our BUGS!  He’s EXCITED about Decorating us!  He’s thinking about how beautiful and AMAZING we will look like when He’s DONE with us!  I have not reached my completion of being decorated yet and neither have you!  He’s so excited and looking for another perfect spot on us to place another unique ball with a hook…..onto us!  Yes He will get the bugs off and He will wipe off all the dirt but that’s not where His thoughts are flowing.. He’s knows they are there and He will get rid of that junk!  He understands that the tree won’t shine as bright if it’s got mud caked on it!  Yes He will un-muddy us!  But He’s so concerned with decorating us!  He wants to teach us lessons and perseverance and mercy and strength and courage!!.. those are our decorations! 

It’s all one big process and it’s so cool to know that He’s not out there complaining about my dirt!  Instead.. He’s doing something about it and wiping me off! He’s not whining about my bugs!  He’s taking a fly-swatter and killin ‘em!

He’s looking at us and smiling about our next upcoming decoration and planning a day when He will surprise us or allow us to open up another one of our presents…which are our gifts/talents…or an incredible  blessing that He has that He has in store for us!  I recognize and understand that i may have completely repeated myself in this blog so many times but I wanted to make sure that the Lord is able to get His point across to us!  Isn’t it wonderful to know that His thoughts about us are lovely thoughts!!  His viewpoint of us isn’t yucky and negative and whiny and complaining!  His thoughts of us are very good thoughts and desires!!  He’s so neat and wonderful!

As If

I was complaining to the Lord that while I’m still on the ground from the last blow of the enemy before I even have the chance to stand back up again he hits me with another bomb in my mind, emotions, and heart… Why can’t I stand up first!  Give me a chance to heal from the last traumatic event before he sends me something else to deal with!!  so then the Lord replied with this…

” First… they rejected me…and emotionally crushed my heart to the core…. and As If that wasn’t already enough…. they turned around beat me to the core…. and As If that wasn’t enough they turned around and puts nails in both my hands and I had a nail in both my feet….. As If that wasn’t already enough.. as if I wasn’t already unrecognizeable.. as if I wasn’t already on my way to death and drenched in blood… as if that wasn’t already enough….. they turned around and pierced my side!”

The Lord used my complaint to magnify His awesomeness in the fact the He also did not even get the chance to heal first before the enemy sent him more pain…Sometimes the Lord allows us to experience things in order to reveal Himself in a new way or to magnify what he went through for us!  The Lord is awesome!

Innocence

So many bad things happen in this world.  Today I learned a very valuable lesson from the Lord….  Recently I encountered a situation that left me so heartbroken.    But I began to get very angry with the Lord and question Him as to why He would think to allow me to go through it.  I didn’t understand at all.  I said, ” You knew it ahead of time, you watched it, and you allowed it…why? “  

Too many times I’ve lost a loved one, had things stolen from me, and had belongings or relationships destroyed.  And because I couldn’t understand it at the time….  too many times I shook my fist at God and was angry with Him and wondered how and why He could let such bad things happen to me because I couldn’t understand it and figure it all out and I was so confused…But the Lord is so sweet , loving, and precious that he simply opened my eyes and showed me why…

  Then He said in response, “Remember… there’s a “free-will” involved.  People are entitled to do whatever they choose to do.  So if someone hurts you it’s their own choosing. (adam and eve were aloud to make their own decision about the forbidden fruit) (otherwise we’d all be robots basically) On top of that…Satan is in the world.

Revelation 12:9

⁹The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.

Then the Lord reminded me…

If things in your life has been stolen or destroyed who do you think did it?  Certainly not the Lord because

John 10:10

¹⁰The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

and guess who the Thief is?  Satan!  Not God! because the Bible says…..

1 Peter 5:8

⁸Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

But about God Almightythe Bible says…

Lamentations 3:33

³³ For he does not willingly bring affliction
       or grief to the children of men.

and….

Psalm 145:17

¹⁷ The LORD is righteous in all his ways
       and loving toward all he has made.

  But today the main lesson I learned is that Satan’s reasoning behind doing what he does is Guilty and the Lord’s reasons behind allowing it is Innocent reasoning…This was so difficult for me to undestand until the Lord said….

Romans 8:28

²⁸And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

So.. basically He’s saying.. It doesn’t matter what Satan does to me.. The Lord will turn it around for My Benefit!!  Even as confusing and painful as it is.. I will receive benefit from it! Whether it be to build my strength, courage, wisdom, a testimony,mercy,patience.. etc…etc..

So… with blessing us afterwards with benefits some of which we have never realized we have received… the Lord’s reasoning is justified for allowing it to happen!  The Lord said

1 Corinthians 10:13

¹³No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.

The reason so many people commit suicide is because Satan the Liar … lies to them and tells them they “can’t go on” and He blinds them to the truth of the verse written above (1 Co 10:10)  The Lord is the source of strength and courage etc!  He IS strength!  He IS Courage!  He IS Wisdom… etc!!  All you have to do is simply ask for whatever it is you need! 

Matthew 7:7

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.

So next time something in the negative happens to you or even tragic… remember.. the Devil.. is the one who is out to destroy you and the Lord above is the one who Loves you Unconditionally and will always treat you right!! 

Matthew 5:48

your heavenly Father is perfect

Ephesians 3:17-19

 And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, ¹⁸may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, ¹⁹and to know this love that surpasses knowledge.

Does He exists?

I received this story in an email this morning.. it’s so great!

A man went to a barbershop to have his hair cut and his beard trimmed.   As the barber began to work, they began to have a good conversation..  They talked about so many things and various subjects.   When they eventually touched on the subject of God, the barber said: ‘I don’t believe that God exists.’   

‘Why do you say that?’ asked the customer.. ‘Well, you just have to go out in the street to realize that God doesn’t exist. 

Tell me, if God exists, would there be so many sick people?  Would there be abandoned children?   

If God existed, there would be neither suffering nor pain. 

I can’t imagine a loving God who would allow all of these things.’ 

The customer thought for a moment, but didn’t respond because he didn’t want to start an argument.

The barber finished his job and the customer left the shop.   

Just after he left the barbershop, he saw a man in the street with long, stringy, dirty hair and an untrimmed beard. 

He looked dirty and unkempt. The customer turned back and entered the barber shop again and he said to the barber: 

‘You know what? Barbers do not exist.’   

‘How can you say that?’ asked the surprised barber.  ‘I am here, and I am a barber. And I just worked on you!’ 

‘No!’ the customer exclaimed. ‘Barbers don’t exist because if they did, there would be no people with dirty long hair and untrimmed beards, like that man outside.’ 

‘Ah, but barbers DO exist! That’s what happens when people do not come to me..’ 

‘Exactly!’ affirmed the customer. ‘That’s the point! God, too, DOES exist! That’s what happens when people do not go to Him and don’t look to Him for help.   

That’s why there’s so much pain and suffering in the world.’ 

2 Parables

.

First Parable…

There were 3 trees.  Each of them had decided what they wanted to be in life.  The first tree decided it wanted to be a chest to hold the most precious treasures… the second tree decided to be a great big ship to carry Kings…the third tree decided to be the tallest tree so that when people looked at it they would remember Jesus.  One day it came time for all of them to be cut down.  they were all so excited!  After the first tree was cut down it was made into a wooden box (you know.. the kind that pigs usually eat out of).. (not exactly at all what it had in mind)  Then the 2nd tree was created and built into a tiny fish boat that carried a bunch of smelly fish.  The third tree was only chopped into 2 normal logs.  These things are not at all what they had in mind what-so-ever!  Little did they know….. it was the greatest blessing!  One day the first tree (the plain box) had some straw/hay put into it along with a baby… it turns out it was holding the most precious treasure of all!  Baby Jesus!  Then the 2nd tree made into a smelly fish boat one day was carrying a bunch of men!  One of them stood up and said, ” Peace, be still”… Turns out it was carrying the greatest King of all!  King Jesus!  Then the third tree made into two plain logs was nailed up to make a cross… Turns out it was holding up Jesus when He was crucified and turns out that when people look at it people remember Jesus!  You see.. all three of these trees got exact what they wanted and BETTER than what they wanted though they were all made to do the job in a different shape than what they had planned!

(Below this is the 2Parable) But before i give you the 2nd parable I wanted to explain…………I talked to my friend Kat the other day as I was completely distraught with some very difficult situations.  I had sought the Lord a long time ago and made specific requests and in turn He said He would do it, however, the way He’s going about it is 100% completely different than what I had in mind.  I am deeply disturbed about His choices and the way He’s going about bringing my request to pass… but then Kat sent me a “talk” that was recorded and in this recorded conversation was 2 parables.  These 2 parables have opened my eyes and given me a completely new perspective on the Lord’s choices and not to mention that the Lord reminded me of this particular verse.

Isaiah 55:9  ⁹ “As the heavens are higher than the earth,
       so are my ways higher than your ways
       and my thoughts than your thoughts

 Second parable…

“Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right, and stopping the leaks in the roof, and so on: you knew that those jobs needed doing and you are not surprised. But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably, and does not seem to make sense. What on earth is He up to?

The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of– throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were going to be made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a Palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself.”

Deep Love

There’s been a time in my life when someone loved me and I couldn’t for the life of me figure out why He loved me so much.  I wasn’t good to Him at all.   I sinned against Him more times than I can count.  Yet still He (The Lord) continues to love me unconditionally so this morning I asked Him why in the world He chose to never give up on me regardless of my constant stupidity.  I have made mistake after mistake and yet He still comes to me time and time again and says that He desires to have a relationship with me.  He has revealed His reasons for why He lavishes His love like this on His children continuously…One of the reasons He does it is in hopes that someday we will recognize and accept His relentless love for us and in turn be crazy about Him too…The more He reveals His love to me the more my heart yearns for Him.  The more He shows me His great mercy the more I desire to be with Him.  He has chosen to forgive and forget all that we have done against Him and treats us as though we’ve never done it.  This is deep true love… when you can look at someone and treat them as though they’ve never done you wrong.  That’s what the Lord does for us.. He treats us as though we’ve never said or done anything wrong.  That’s  not to say that he doesn’t discipline us when we need it. 

Proverbs 13:24 ²⁴ He who spares the rod hates his son,
       but he who loves him is careful to discipline him.  

Proverbs 3:12 (NIV)

 ¹² because the LORD disciplines those he loves,
       as a father ^[a] the son he delights in.

 The point is… though He disciplines us it’s for our own good… but He will not treat us with anger and rage and wrath due to the fact that ALL of this was put on CHRIST at the CROSS!!  He’s Not MAD at us!!  It was ALL put on JESUS!  He took on ALL wrath for OUR SAKE!!  So therefore He looks at us and treats us with nothing but love and mercy…

Ephesians 2:4 (NIV)⁴But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy…

 This is true deep love…. loving someone through all the hard times… loving someone and understanding that they are human.  Loving someone litterally  as though you’ve never been hurt…like nothin bad ever happened…  This is so difficult to do sometimes.  But The Lord will strengthen you and encourage you and show you how to love with His love.  Let His unconditional love flow through you… you’ll be amazed with the final results!  Because of this lesson I am not even remotely the same person I used to be and thank God!!  So.. I encourage you to try and look at someone today that hurt you badly… and just allow God’s love to flow through your heart for them as though what they have done has never happened… (believe me I know all about heart trauma..and I understand the difficulty)  I pray for you right now in Jesus Christ’s mighty name that you will begin to open up your heart (to those who have hurt you and wounded you to the core) with forgiveness and love.  Forgiveness and love for them will set you free & release 2,000 lbs off your shoulders… I’ve experienced this… It’s incredible!

You Make My Heart Melt…

This morning I asked the Lord, ” Lord, what makes Your heart melt?”

At first He showed me that so often that though the Lord loves us sooo much .. the love is only going “one way”  … Only His love is flowing towards us but too often people are not loving Him back.. Imagine being in a relationship where you are so beyond crazy for someone but they just don’t quite feel the same way or respond to you the way you wish they would… 

He simply reminded me of when I was in a “true love” relationship….and reminded me of how wonderful it felt to be in love but that the best part of the whole thing was the other person was loving me back because they wanted to……The other person communicated with me because he “wanted” to.. and held me close because he wanted to…and sometimes when I walked up to him and wrap my arms around his waste and feel so loved and comforted because he “welcomed” it… and let me know he felt loved when I held him… that made My heart melt knowing that his heart was melting for me!! 

So.. the Lord showed me that what melts His heart is when he decides to wrap His strong loving arms around you and you lovingly welcome  them and relax in His arms and say…. “Don’t let go.. hold me forever”  (It’s a rare response that he receives) but it melts His heart to know that yours melts for Him!