KNOW HIM!!

I decided that in order for me to serve God with all my heart, then I need to know who He is. The only way to know who He is, is to read His word, His love letter to me. Then, I needed to seek out every word that described Him. Verbs (action words-things He does). This is what I found in just the first 3 books of the Bible, Genesis, Exodus, and Leviticus. God: appoints, avenges,affects, answers, appears, accepts, adds unto us, abides, annoints, abhors, assays, accurses, advances, blesses, breathes, brings, builds, becomes my salvation, blows, bares, breaks, be, bestows, blots, begets, bears, begins, chases, claves, commands, clothes, curses, chooses, causes, covenants, comes down, confounds, corrects, communes, closes, charges, comes (in a dream), calls, casts, cuts off, consumes, covers, clears, consecrates, chastises, concieves, carries, chastens, cares for, decides, delivers, divides, does, deals with, is, drives out, destroys, does, dashes, descends, dwells, draws out, departs, disinherits, delights, defies, dries up (the waters), discomfits, establishes, entreats, endues, executes, enlarges, expels, exalts, feeds, finds, falls upon us, fights, fulfills, fills, forgives, forbids, forsakes, fetches, fathers, forms, flies, gives, grieves, goes, guides, gets, gathers, hears, heals, hearkens, has, hardens, honors, helps, holds, hallows, humbles, hates, hides, heaps, is, instructs, judges, justifies, knows, keeps, kills, kindles, looses, looks upon, leads, lays, looks through, looks unto, lives, loves, lifts up, marks, multiplies, makes, magnifies, meets, moves, nourishes, names, opens, overthrows, promises, plagues, possesses, provides, prospers, performs, puts, passes by/through/over, purchases, plants, proves, prepares, pardons, proclaims, presents, punishes, provokes, parts, preserves, plucks, questions, requires, rises, rewards, receives, requites, replaces, recompenses, regrets, rents, rebuilds, rides, restrains, rejects, reminds, removes, remembers, renames, repeats, reassures, rains, rebukes, redeems, rids, raises us up, reigns, records, repents, reforms, refuses, repays, rejoices, returns, renders, sanctifies, sees, separates, speaks, searches, shuts, spends, starts, shines, stops, subdues, smells, scatters, shows, shields, sets, spares, smites, sends, saves, slays, suffers, swears, stretches (forth His hand), seeks, severs, shows, strengthens, stands, takes, tempts, tells, takes, teaches, turns, troubles, triumphs, talks with, thinks, thrusts out, testifies, thunders, visits, vexes, waters, withholds, watches, witnesses, wills, wroughts, writes, works, walks, withstands, wounds, whets (a sword). HOW'S THAT FOR MIGHTY GOD!!!??? Those are just the verbs. That list doesn't include what He IS. I've got that list nearly completed as well. In Him is all human nature. All that we are can be found in Him. Obviously He wants us to know Him for who He IS. Churches tend to say only 2 things about Him...He loves and He forgives! How about the rest of who He is? He's all things to all people! I love you Father!!!!

WE ARE BECAUSE HE IS

I have so much to be grateful for. I have so little on this earth and so much in my soul! Even if I had so much on this earth, it could never compare to what's in my soul. I've been baptized in the Holy Spirit and am saturated in the Word of God. As I reflect back on the life I used to live, I see the lack of meaning in it. The shopping, the hair, the make-up, the jewelry. It all meant nothing. Every bit of it could've come to a screeching halt at anytime. It didn't. I ended it. I chose a meaningful path. I chose a path that would lead me somewhere. I chose depth. The surface is seen. What's left after you've seen it? Another surface? And then? But inside, there's no beginning and no end. There's no color and yet all colors. There's facets, stairways, doors, openings to other openings. Just when I begin to think I get it, there's more to learn. Once, I picked up a bass guitar, I learned it. I can play. But I got so bored so fast. I knew it wasn't depth. It's interesting, it's something to make your own. It's a way to create. But, it's all been done. Every sound has been repeated. Every note has been played. Music is an intricate part of life, needful, spiritual. But it's been done. I haven't. Me. Nobody has lived me. Nobody has repeated me. There's something different through every door. He has made a universe of just me, here, where I am. It's not that I love me, it's that I love how He loves me and wants me to know how much. He has shown me that He spent so much time just creating me. He didn't just zap me down here onto the planet. He gave me depth, wisdom, love, desire, boldness, shyness, curiosity, knowledge, ability, ambition, need, experience, purpose, meaning, hunger, etc. And then there's the facets of each of those. Then there's the purpose in each of those. Then there's the individuality of each of those in me. The unique creation that is me. The layers upon layers. The inside of the inside. The heart of my heart and the soul of my soul. Where I am but only because He is, first.

THE LOVE IN CREATION

So, I get up this morning and go out to feed my friend his breakfast and I notice that the sky is extremely blue and smooth and perfect and without blemish or cloud. I stared for a long time trying to find just a speck of something up there. Nothing. Where did the stars go? How is it that they're there but not seen? Does the sun shine on them and their surrounding space so brightly that it all blends? How can they just not be seen at all but be there? They're still right where they were in the night. Different stars of course, since the planet is turning. But, there nonetheless. Why is the sky blue? What makes it blue? I didn't choose that color. So, who did? And why blue? So, blue is the color of the sky. That's the color God chose for us to see as the color that designates the sky. Not yellow along with the sun. Blue. Not green to blend with the treetops, blue. How did He separate the colors? How does He stop the sun from being yellow outward instead of just in itself? It's like the ocean, how does it know to stop at the shore? How come it rains on the ocean in places adding many many feet per day of water, but it never goes past it's shoreline? (unless a cataclysmic event on the ocean floor pushes it).When I look outside, I see EVERYTHING praising God. I see that every green thing reaches up. Science will say it's reaching for the sun, I get that. The sun is needful, indeed, but why does it stay that way? When I get up in the morning, I lift my face to the light, but at night I lay down and curl into a ball. Why do plants stay reaching? Why don't they lay down and curl into a ball at night? Even a whale, will breach UP out of the water. It doesn't breach down. The Bible says that Jesus is the light of the world. Have you ever seen what lives in the deepest depths of the oceans? Have you noticed how evil and horrifying those creatures of the dark are? Compare them to the things that grow in the sun! Beautiful, bright, vibrant colors with fragrances that attract beautiful hummingbirds and honey-making bees. A tiny flying creature that makes food for humans. And it doesn't even mean to. It's all God's handiwork. I imagine God walking amongst us in the cool of the day just as He did in the Garden of Eden. He did such a beautiful job when He created this planet. He used love. I can see it. Love is what it takes to make things grow and thrive. Love is beauty. It's all here!!

NEVER TOO DARK

It took me years to understand what it means to have God's mercies. So, here's what we know, "...our adversary, the devil, as a roaring lion, walks about seeking whom he may devour." I Peter 5:8. What it means to be "devoured" by your adversary or enemy (the devil) is to find yourself completely consumed with grief, sorrow, trial, tribulation, etc. That's how he "devours." Ever feel that way? Ever feel like "it's always something?" That's your enemy seeking to devour you. His goal is to completely and utterly destroy you. He will use any tactic and any person to achieve his goals. He'll send people to say all the wrong things at the wrong times. He'll afflict your body with sickness and disease. He'll cause tribulation to follow you or wait around every corner. He has "little helpers." I like to call them minions. They're the ones on your job or at school that run around spreading rumors about you. They're the ones that steal your stuff. They're the ones that pretend to be your friend to your face, but will steal your mate if they get the chance. They're the ones that are ever so quick to ask you for help or to borrow something, but never have it to give when you need it. They're the ones who only call to dump on you but when you need someone to talk to, they're never there. Those are all satan's little helpers, his minions. And he uses them daily in an attempt to devour you. That's where God's mercies come in. You may not have ever given Him a thought, but He has given you one. He's the reason I haven't been consumed by all that happens to me. Yes, I struggle and suffer, but it's never more than I'm able to bear. I've glimpsed the depths of despair but God never let me stay there. It's as if He wanted me to see what I could be experiencing as opposed to what I actually am experiencing. He is merciful. All I've ever done is ask Him to help me. Deliver me. Save me. Set me free. Give me peace. Show me the way out. And He's faithful to answer every single time. Every single time. Every single time!!!!! So, today, I wept. And then I begged for mercy. So, tonight, I smile.

RUN THE RACE

I'm still learning how to blog effectively, still trying to download photos. One thing I know is, how to Glorify God with my blog. So, today I'm posting a poem I wrote and published in a book called, "Collected Whispers," published by International Library of Poetry. I wrote so many poems through Divine inspiration but for some reason, this is the one He (God) wanted, this is the one He chose. It's not Shakespearean, only me being used by Him. 


Life's problems can be so cumbersome,
I'm so glad to know the Lord.
He's the strength I need to get through each day,
And eternity is my reward.
For living each day to His glory,
For devoting myself to His will,
For responding to the voice I hear,
Though it be so small and still.
There's a race that I must run,
A race that I'm determined to win.
I'm not racing against other people,
Though I'm running like the wind.
I run the race of living,
And sometimes I fall behind,
But Jesus is there to cheer me on.
He waits at the finish line.
And when I get there, oh, joy abounds
For those of us who ran,
And I'm happy to share the winning prize
With every woman and man
I'm not the only one running,
And I won't be the only one to win,
But if Jesus asks me what I think,
I don't want to run it again!