Thurs, 9-Feb-2012 -- Three Feet From Gold

Gold ingots, a photo by Buy Silver Gold on Flickr.

I heard a story awhile back about these gold miners that kept digging for gold in California back during the Gold Rush days and never struck gold. They gave up and what they didn't realize was that they were 3' from hitting a tremendous gold vein that would've made them incredibly rich. They gave up.

How often do we give up on things that are important because things don't turn out the way we plan, or we run into a lot of detours, roadblocks? It's down right frustrating and aggravating.

When Adam & Eve got kicked out of the Garden of Eden in the book of Genesis in the Bible, one of the things God said was that man would have to work really hard, and it would be grueling.

As I look back at certain areas of my life, I think about how hard, yes, how hard, I worked at so many things in my life. No one could say that I did not have heart and passion. And, yet, often I would fail and get back up again and again.

Certainly failing so many times was not in my plan. It seemed like very little came easy to me, but God kept revealing Himself throughout my life to show that I was gifted in many things, but they were not the things that were outwardly as pinpointed.

God gave me heart & passion, a persevering attitude. The past few years, I've been hit with tremendous blows to my life, which sent me reeling and spinning, knocked to the ground not knowing if I could get up again. Actually, I couldn't.

Jehovah-Jireh (the Lord my Provider) came to my rescue, and He brought troops, many people to come to my side to help me back up. There was no strength to stand up, so God has to be my legs.

A couple weeks, I got dealt a blow that I didn't think I could recover. Yet ANOTHER thing! How much can a person take? God needed my undivided attention and expediency to listen to Him, to take action.

I just prayed and cried out to my God. I don't know what to do! Help! God began whispering a few words here and there, and I immediately obeyed.

Two weeks later, I'm so excited. Maybe all those years of hard work and not seeming to get anywhere, now is being accelerated to overcome a bad situation with unsurpassing Divine quickness. I'm truly floored and praise my God!

For the past 2 yrs, I have been just 3' from Gold and didn't know it. This specific journey I'm referring to isn't over and I have a ways to go, but what I've seen in the past 2 weeks I was not able to accomplish on my own in the past 25 yrs.

What can God do to a person wholly submitted to Him? More than I could ever imagine or do on my own. I need Him for every step of my life, every breath.

My God is the most extraordinary ever. He is the Great I AM! He is my all sufficiency.

Wed, 1-Feb-2011 -- Commitment

Commitment, a photo by eschipul on Flickr.

Usually when I see the word commitment, people think of getting married. Although that is an interesting subject to talk about, that won't be the point at all for this blog entry.

As I embark on a new journey in a different light with different motivation, I'm finding commitment to be far less daunting than what I originally perceived. What I literally was challenged with all of sudden doesn't seem that challenging.

Yes, it's still sometimes a challenge to follow-through with things, but when you reassess your motivation, and if you're motivated not by fear, rather by love, committing is far easier. God is love.

I presented last week the challenge that was before me to God and frankly, I was incredibly down and discouraged. My multiple failures for over 2 decades was before me and I in it of myself, had no strength to get back up and try ONE MORE TIME.

In a desperate plea to God, I asked Him to intervene and help me. God, in His tender loving care whispered the name of someone, then another person. Thankfully when I called each person, both answered and helped me step into the right direction, providing me with hope that I could get back up ONE MORE TIME.

LH gave me one thing to do and I got on it immediately, though, it was wrought with challenges the simple thing she said to do. LC encouraged me with what was happening on her end, which gave me a hope, as that situation was worse than mine.

As I sought God, He gave me the energy and whispered other things in my ear to do, simple things. Procrastination was not an option. Time was of necessity.

I committed that I would see this through and give it my very best, which did not mean doing it by myself, but relying on God's direction, help from other people. God has moved on the hearts of other people to help, not many, but they are helping.

Things that had beset me, things I could not overcome in the past, so far, nearly a week into this, seem to not be an issue. All the excuses, procrastination, etc., dropping to the side and kicked into the ditch (hopefully permanently).

I have not been able to commit to this level before without constant challenges that kept tripping me up. God seems to have parted the Red Sea for me here to show me that He is truly for me.

Of course, God is ALWAYS good and He is truly for me. God is good regardless of what I do.

When you commit to something, anything, be focused and go for it. I still have a lot to learn. Through all this, I will need to heavily lean on God in every aspect, as I'm sure there will be times when my commitment will wane.
I look forward to the Compound Effect that results from commitment with God & I walking together over the days, weeks, months, and years to come to accomplish what I can never do alone.

Eyes on God - Focus - Commit!

Mon, 30-Jan-2012 -- The Journey

Walking on the sun, a photo by RMontoro on Flickr.

Today I woke up excited that I was embarking on a journey to get to a place I've not been to. Maybe this would be the time, after searching what seems like endlessly for what I've been striving for.

A part of my spirit is competitive, but sheepishly, I don't always deal with failure gracefully. Today, in a different area of my life, I had some great failures that sent me in a course that I'm still not off right now, which I need to get off that course. It has me questioning things in a way that isn't good.

Once again, I'm figuratively humbled and realize I am weak, and that I can't do ANY of this life without Christ. I am utterly depraved. I didn't wake up feeling like this, rather hopeful.

Yet, this evening, my heart is aching and my spirit is still frustrated and angry. Sitting here catching up on my "Experiencing God" study, and so far behind, the Bible verses leap off the pages and convict my heart, but it's not with condemnation.

It's refocusing me on God, not my circumstances. I was far from godly in anything for the past 5+ hrs. I allowed my temper and past failures sink me into a pit of anger & despair.

It feels like I'm in the desert, but there is a mirage. Probably more than ever in my life, I am more focused on God and walking in faith. He has me on a super short leash. Stuff is happening, changing quickly.

No longer do I want to take years to go through things. Repentence is one of the keys. I so need God in EVERY aspect, EVERY thought, EVERY emotion, EVERY action, EVERYTHING!

Sanctus Real has a song called "Redeemer" that really depicts some of what I feel.  Why Sanctus Real wrote this touches me and gets me off my own circumstances: