Wait and See

by Brandon Heath

My Turning Point

A friend of mine came by one day
And shared an old, old story.
He spoke to me of God's great love.
He spoke of heaven's glory.

He spoke to me of man's great need -
Forgiveness for our sin.
But if we'd open wide our heart,
Then Jesus would come in.

I thought about what this friend said;
Won'dring - could this be true?
Then, on my knees, I prayed, "Dear God,
I want this life brand new."

And in that instant Jesus came,
Right straight into my heart.
There, in His presence oh so real,
I knew He'd not depart.

My sins, completely washed away,
My step, a whole lot lighter,
A wave of love washed over me,
And ev'rything seemed brighter.

In that one eternal instant,
My life forever changed;
Priorities turned upside down;
Desires were rearranged.

Now ev'ry day I realize,
When life seems out of joint,
I can concentrate on Jesus -
He is my Turning Point!


[ by Neil G. Thompson, copyright 2/15/94 -- from 'Themestream' ]

Job 38-39

If the Lord asks me to wait
Till I reach that pearly gate
Then wait I must.
Though my heart says I should hurry,
Still my Lord says not to worry,
I must trust...

"O, My child ~ thou art Mine,
You must seek My will, not thine,
Do not fret thyself about what is to be...
For thy future have no dread,
Leave it in My hands instead,
For I alone know what is best for thee.

"Dwell on what My hands have made,
Count the stars My hands have stayed
To spin in motion...
Guess the secrets that I keep
In the mysteries of My deep
Uncharted ocean.

"Can you make the grass to sprout,
Paint the colors in a trout,
Or make the brook sing?
When do mountain goats give birth,
Who brings flowers out of earth,
Or gives the bird wing?

"Do you give the horse his might,
Can you change the day to night,
Or make a rainbow?
At My wish the eagle soars,
I command the rain that pours,
And make the wind blow.

"This and far more I can do...
Am I big enough for you
To trust your life to?
Is My universe too small
To be trusted with your all?
Child, taste of Me and see
How much I love you!"

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"O, taste and see that the Lord is good..."
(Psalm 34:8, KJV)

Satan's Garage Sale

Once upon a time, Satan was having a garage sale. There, standing in little groups were all of his bright, shiny trinkets.

Here were tools that make it easy to tear others down for use as stepping stones. And over there were some lenses for magnifying ones own importance, which, if you looked through them the other way, you could also use to belittle others, or even one's self. Against the wall was the usual assortment of gardening implements guaranteed to help your pride grow by leaps and bounds: the rake of scorn, the shovel of jealousy for digging a pit for your neighbor, the tools of gossip and backstabbing, of selfishness and apathy.

All of these were pleasing to the eye and came complete with fabulous promises and guarantees of prosperity. Prices, of course, were steep; but not to worry! Free credit was extended to one and all.

"Take it home, use it, and you won't have to pay until later!" old Satan cried, as he hawked his wares.

The visitor, as he browsed, noticed two well worn, non-descript tools standing in one corner. Not being nearly as tempting as the other items, he found it curious that these two tools had price tags higher than any other.

When he asked why, Satan just laughed and said, "Well, that's because I use them so much. If they weren't so plain looking, people might see them for what they were." Satan pointed to the two tools, saying, "You see, that one's Doubt and that one's Discouragement -- and those will work when nothing else will."

=========================================

The devil tries to equip us with so many tools; tools that encourage descruction or separation from God.

Just because we can buy it does not mean we should try it!

But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because he does not eat from faith; for whatever is not from faith is sin. Romans 14: 23

The Lord tells us not to be discouraged...

He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.

Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;

but those who hope in the LORD
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.

Isaiah 40: 29 -31

The Plunge

As many times as you hear someone say they know how to swim, trying so desperately to convince you (or themselves), knowing they've never been in water... It takes for them to be thrown in a pool to come to the realization that what they thought to be fact was indeed a misconception on their part.

In life we base a lot of decisions on what we feel is right. It takes to be thrown in the pool to realize it. Take the time to make your decisions in life.

God knows our decisions before we do but He loves us so much, He's put his trust in us to make the right one.

Pray. Meditate on God's Word. You will know what choices to make. You will know which path to walk.

Joshua 1:8
Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.


Put your love and trust in the Lord. He is your salvation. You will find solace in Him.

Jehovah-Rapha, the Lord our Healer

My daughter has had 6 surgeries on her right ear in 4 years. Within the past year alone, she’s had 3 of them… in Aug, Nov & May. She’s been through a lot physically and yet she hasn’t lost faith. She continues to believe that God will heal her of her ear problems and she will live a joyous, healthy life. During these times, I’ve asked friends and family to pray for her, played a healing CD for her, and asked my church to pray for her as well. Her last surgery was a success!! For the first time ever, Veronica has normal hearing!! Thank you Jesus!!!

… 5 months later we encounter a problem… she has a bad infection in her left ear… in her “good” ear. So far she’s been every week to the doctors, 3 weeks in a row, ear drops and a change of antibiotics. We pray that this doesn’t turn into the trouble we had with her right ear. Although she is brave and full of faith and reassurance, it is very difficult to grasp the fact that she has fallen ill again. And so we continue to pray. And so this article is written.

We know our God to be merciful and compassionate. We’ve read countless stories of His healings and miracles. We know that God is Jehovah-Rapha, the Lord our Healer. So the big question that has been asked is, knowing that He heals, why are some still plagued with illness?

The first thing we have to acknowledge is that God can and does heal. “for I am the LORD, who heals you” (Exodus 15:26). God’s will is to heal our physical body. He doesn’t want us to suffer with sickness and disease. One thing He asks of us is faith… faith in Him; Jehovah-Rapha. We might try to understand why but we must always remember that His ways are higher than ours. And in understanding this, we accept that God has full authority over all sickness and can choose to heal whenever and whomever He chooses. We must also understand that sometimes God allows us to have sickness so that will we look to Him for His strength and power. The sickness can teach us a valuable lesson about our faith.

"To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong." (2 Corinthians 12:7-10)

Let’s read that again… "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Do you hear how divine that is?! Our Lord is His strongest in our weakest moments. He does not leave us to wallow in our pain. He does not leave us to cower in our affliction. Instead, the Lord says that His grace is sufficient and far more than we can ever hope or imagine. He will free us of our ailments if we fully surrender ourselves to Him.

"It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn your decrees." (Psalm 119:71)

"We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they are good for us - they help us learn to endure." (Romans 5:3)

Why are some still plagued with illness? I know for my daughter it is because God uses these medical problems to strengthen her. It has drawn us closer not only to one another but also to God. We have experienced and learned so much in this time and one thing is for certain… we will only receive God’s mercy if we surrender to Him. We pray a little longer. Pray a little louder. Pray more often. We continuously thank God for all He’s given us and for being with us at all times, regardless of circumstance. We thank Him for bringing us through this storm, directing us to safety; steering my precious daughter to a healthier life.

"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."
How beautiful these words are. How dear we hold them.

Where My Inspiration Lies

Where Does Your Inspiration Lie?

As a child, my dreams were endless… Aaahh, to be a doctor, lawyer, mechanic (don’t ask lol), accountant, actress… to be rich, famous, a star in my own world! No wrongs. No worries. Everything good brought my way.

A little older, I realized I can still have these wishes but I have to work towards them. That’s when I started re-analyzing my goals… doctor – well, too much school for me. Lawyer – wasn’t really my aspiration but more my mom’s for me. Mechanic – lol – no… you get the point.

A few more years go by; I see that even with “a plan” my road is not going to be easy, regardless of the goal I try to accomplish. Welcome to adulthood.

This is, I’m sure, a cycle we’ve all gone through or are still going through. Decisions are made and re-made. Plans are set and rescheduled. But through it all, focus is not lost.

God has given me many skills, talents, blessings of which I intend to use for His will. I intend to serve Jehovah-ra-ah, the Lord my shepherd. My relationship with the most high God will set forth a path for my children to follow.

A path of love and salvation.
A path that can only be placed by our Lord and Savior.

My foundation in Christ will set an example for others. My steadfast devotion to our beloved Father will ignite a fire within others to seek the tranquility and unconditional love that He provides. My words, spoken or written, will inspire others to build upon His rock. My actions intended or not, will exemplify His righteousness.

I’ve been down many roads.
I’ve traveled near and far in life’s circumstances.
Some bitter sweet.
Some that should’ve been avoided.

But in my travels I have found the path I was meant to tread. The path truly intended for me. My walk in Christ.

My inspiration comes from Him.

John 15:5
"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing."

Isaiah 55:6-9
Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will freely pardon. "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD. "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

I Am A "Kept" Woman

You see, there were a few times when I thought I would lose my mind,

but GOD kept me sane. (Isa. 26:3)

There were times when I thought I could go no longer,

but the LORD kept me moving. (Gen 28:15)

At times, I've wanted to lash out at those whom I felt had done me wrong,

but the LORD kept my mouth shut. (Psa. 13)

Sometimes, I think the money just isn't enough,

but GOD has helped me to keep the lights on, the water on, the car paid, the house paid, etc.., (Matt. 6:25 -34)

When I thought I would fall, HE kept me up.

When I thought I was weak, HE kept me strong! (I Pet. 5:7, Matt. 11:28-30)

I could go on and on and on, but I'm sure you hear me!

I'm blessed to be "kept."

Are you...or do you know a "kept" woman?
If so pass it on to her to remind her she is "Kept."

The Company You Keep

It Is Better To Be Alone, Than In The Wrong Company.
Tell me who your best friends are, and I will tell you who you are.
If you run with wolves, you will learn how to howl, but if you associate
With eagles, you will learn how to soar to great heights.
A mirror reflects a mans face, but what he is really like is shown by
The kind of friends he chooses. The simple but true fact of life is that
You become like those with whom you closely associate for the good and the bad.
The less you associate with some people, the more your life will improve.
Any time you tolerate mediocrity in others, it increases your mediocrity.
As you grow, your associates will change.
Some of your friends will not want you to go on.
They will want you to stay where they are.
Friends that don’t help you climb will want you to crawl.
Your friends will stretch your vision or choke your dream.

CONSIDER THIS:
Never receive counsel from unproductive people.
Never discuss your problems with someone incapable of contributing to the solution,
Because those who never succeed themselves are always first to tell you how to.
Not everyone has a right to speak into your life.
You are certain to get the worst of the bargains when you exchange ideas
With the wrong person.
Don’t follow anyone who’s not going anywhere.
With some people you spend an evening: with others you invest it.
Be careful where you stop to inquire for directions along the road of life.
Wise is the person who forfeits his life with the right friendships.

Happy moments, Praise God
Difficult moments, Seek God
Quiet moments, Worship God
Painful moments, Trust God
Every moment, Thank God

If you see people without a smile today, give them one of yours.
Choose to rise… Don’t settle… and go for your dreams.
And most of all, let God lead you in everything you do!