The Battle- Win or Lose?

      Our BATTLES ARE FIRST WON OR LOST.......in the secret places of our will in God's presence, never in full view of the world. The Spirit of God seizes me and I am compelled to get alone with God and fight the battle before Him. Until I do this, I will LOSE every-time. The battle may take one minute or one year, but that will depend on ME, not GOD. However long it takes, I must wrestle with it alone before God, and I must resolve to go through the hell of renunciation or rejection before Him. Nothing has any power over someone who has fought the battle before God and WON there!

     I should never say, "I will wait until I get into difficult circumstances and then I will put God to the test."  Trying to do that will not work. I must first get the issue settled between God and myself in the secret places of my soul, where no one else can interfere. Then I can go ahead and knowing with certainty that the battle is won. Lose it there, and calamity, disaster, and defeat before the world are as sure as the laws of God. The reason the battle is lost is that I fight it first in the external world. Get ALONE WITH GOD.......do battle before Him, and settle the matter once and for all.

      In dealing with other people, our stance should always be to drive them toward making a decision of their will. That is how SURRENDERING to God begins!!!!!!! Not often, but every once in a while, God brings us to a major turning point---a great crossroads in our life. From that point we either go toward a more and more slow, lazy, and useless Christian life, or we become more and more on fire, giving our utmost for His highest---- our best for His glory.


This beautiful devotion was taken from: 
"My UTMOST FOR HIS HIGHEST; by Oswald Chambers

I am at this cross- road.............sick of being spiritually lazy......praying to be on fire! Will you join me?

all of grace,
Robbie

Surrender

That thing that weighs you down.........straps you.................entraps you. Does it really matter?
Does anything really matter? Life can strip you of you.........it can twist you into knots of pain.
Everything can be stripped away and tossed into the fire..........so HOW? How do I allow God to use my talents that He has given me to perplex His kingdom forward?

Be careful of making friends with the Holy Spirit because He will ask you to die!!!!!

We must learn to let go...............letting go of self desires............and pursue God's purpose. Letting go of control...............trusting.
Just as God let go of His son for us, we need to totally live in absolute surrender.

I feel like I am asleep......................day sleeping that is.  I am standing in the kitchen this morning.........trying to sort out my to do list before the day begins. With Christmas behind us I am trying to remember to just breath.

Wanting to know how...........to weave through the tangled mess of all the Christmas decorations..........and the tangled mess that life can sometimes weave. It is then that I remember............that the coming of Christ was about God himself entering.........................into the mess of this world, from the humble beginnings in a manger to the painful death of; "the cross."

God surrendered............his son.
Jesus surrendered ...............his life.
What is it that have I surrendered?

It is today that I have to truly ask myself....................do I really want to surrender my all?
Because if I DO REALLY want to SURRENDER.........my all then I have to pick up my cross and follow him?
Maybe it is me that is afraid of being inconvenienced.......... that total surrender and...........reckless abandonment to the King would bring.
Maybe I ENJOY feeding my flesh!
I have thought about the life changes that would need to take place to follow God and it's then that I am overwhelmed..........as I toss and turned last night in my bed with all these thoughts it simply boiled down to; "inconvenience."  The thought of being inconvenienced scares me. I say I want more of God but do I really? I pray and I ask God what is it that you have for me?  And the verse that continues to resurface over and over again:

Jeremiah 29:11

¹¹ For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

 The only reason that I can think of for not seeking God with all my heart, soul and mind is purely selfish reasons.

I often wonder when the testing will come...............not if the testing will come but WHEN the testing will come..................and He will whisper..........."will you..............Robbie..........sacrifice it all for me?"
I want so badly to say yes.............I scream and I cry out remember that I am made from dust!

Luke 22:31-32;

³¹ “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat. ³² But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.”

 Not if you turn back but WHEN..........

Romans 7: 19-25;
 For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. ²⁰ Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.
²¹ So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. ²² For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; ²³ but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. ²⁴ What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? ²⁵ Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!
So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in my sinful nature^[d] a slave to the law of sin.

So yesterday I make that same familiar trek into the hospital with a new attitude...........a smile as big as my face...............walking through the halls of some of the sickest patients.........kissing foreheads........wiping up vomit.............wiping up feces...............and praising the King for an opportunity to see people through His eyes. It is in that moment that I see she is still in the ICU over 30 days now;  the complete stranger that I love....................the 24 year girl who turned 25 yesterday.  I am not prepared for the sight that meets the eyes............she is pale and smaller...........she is still unable to actually speak or eat. Her vocal cords have continued to remain paralyzed. So they gave her a trach and it leaks thick white secretions non-stop. ............I actually spend a few moments in time marveling...........that she is alive! She is weak but smiles a faint kind of smile as she reaches for my face.
She hasn't been able to eat in months............so she mouths the words to me that today is the day that they place a permanent feeding tube and do I think that is OK?
I stare right into her eyes for a long moment..........it is then that I see Him in her............bruised...........broken...........and although I want to fix her I know I can't.......but I tell her that we are;  "children of the most high God!" And although we must share in His suffering we also get to share in His Glory! So we must call out to Him and lay everything at His feet.
Tears stream down both of our faces and I tell her PRAISE HIM anyway!!!!!! Praise Him through all of this. You are alive and He knows the plans He has for you!!!! Plans for a future and plans not to harm you!!!!
He is still a God of miracles today!!!!! A God that became one of us so He could feel our pain and taste our death............HE LOVED!

John 3:16

¹⁶ For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.


I am asking myself today and everyday......................"How often Lord...........How often I have neglected to do for the least of these?"

You see this young woman.........brain tumor and all is a child of the most High King........and He will stop at nothing to go and retrieve the one lost sheep! Pray for your eyes to be the opened..........to see through His eyes.

Life is busy and we can become so infested with ourselves...........but let us not forget that we were created to LOVE and...........God is LOVE............and if we surrender our will for HIS then it is at that moment that we become most Christ like!!!! Join me will you on this scary but amazing ride? For we are the BODY of CHRIST! Don't you want to see and feel what He feels?

all of grace,

Robbie

so grateful to the gifts that keep on coming; sending my praises to the King;

for the sunshine this morning
the cold crisp air
sap on the hardwoods from the real Christmas tree
a new season
the seal of God
kindness
mason jars
sweet tea
homemade banana bread
chocolate chip pancakes
warmth in front of a fire
squeezing hands in prayer before meal
early Christmas Eve service at church
remembering the birth of our Savior
candle light flickering into the night
curling up with a good book while teens cuddle close watching a movie

The Prayer of Love

Gracious Lord,
Thy name is love,
in love receive my prayer.

My sins are more than the wide sea's sand,
but where sin abounds, there is grace more abundant.
Look to the cross of thy beloved Son,
and view the preciousness of his atoning blood;
Listen to his never-failing intercession,
and whisper to my heart, "Thy sins are forgiven,
be of good cheer, lie down in peace."
Grace cataracts from heaven and flows for ever,
and mercy never wearies in bestowing benefits.
Grant me more and more to prize the privilege of prayer,

to come to thee as a sin-soiled sinner,
to find pardon in thee,
to converse with thee;
to know thee in prayer as
the path in which my feet tread,
the latch upon the door of my lips,
the light that shines through my eyes,
the  music of my ears,
the marrow of my understanding,
the strenght of my will,
the power of my affection,
the sweetness of my memory.

May the matter of my prayer be always wise, humble, submissive, obedient, scriptural, Christ-like.
Give me unwavering faith that supplications are never in vain,
that if I seem not to obtain my petitions
I shall have larger, richer answers,
surpassing all that I ask or think.
Unsought, thou hast given me the greatest gift,
the person of thy Son,
and in him thou wilt give me all I need.



the cry of my heart this morning; from the prayer book of the saints before us;
"The Valley of Vision"


asking for grace these next few days while Amy and I are working in the ICU's;
all of  grace,
Robbie

The Church of all Nations- Jerusalem

(Re- posting some pictures this holiday season with information from our trip to Israel................longing to go back to a place that I feel is truly a part of me);

The Catholic church enshrines a section of stone in the Garden of Gethsemane that is believed to be where Jesus prayed on the night of his arrest (Matthew 26:36).

Inside, the symbols of each country that contributed to the church are incorporated into the inlaid gold ceilings of each of 12 cupolas. The 12 cupolas rest on six monolithic pillars.

The domed roof, thick pillars, and floor mosaic give the church a Byzantine appearance

The front of the church features a colorful facade supported by a row of pillars. The mosaic above the entrance depicts Christ as the link between God and humanity

The Church of All Nations, officially named the Basilica of the Agony, is located at the foot of the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem next to the Garden of Gethsemane. 

Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, "Sit here while I go over there and pray." He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled.

Then he said to them, "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me."

Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will."

--Matthew 26:36-39

History

The modern church stands on the foundations of two ancient churches: a 4th-century Byzantine basilica, destroyed by an earthquake in 746 and a 12th-century Crusader chapel, which was abandoned in 1345.
The Basilica of the Agony was built from 1919-24 with funding from 12 different countries, which gave it its nickname: "the Church of All Nations."

 

The architect of the building was Antonio Barluzzi, who also designed the nearby Dominus Flevit Church.

The basilica's three aisles culminate in three apses at the east end, which are decorated with mosaics depicting biblical events in the Garden of Gethsemane. In the center, the high altar overlooks a large slab of rock, which is said to be the very rock on which Jesus prayed in agony on the night of his betrayal.
The Church of All Nations is run by the Franciscans, but an open altar in the garden is used by the Anglican community on Maundy Thursday (the day before Good Friday).

all of grace,

Robbie

"God with us"

"All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet

The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel-

which means, God with us."  Matthew 1:22-23

God with us-

One of God's promises to us- is that he will never leave us nor forsake us.

Clarence lay there in his ICU bed, dying. There was nothing more that we- the medical team could do. His family was on their way. We were not sure if they would make it in time. I wish that I could say that he was not in pain, but he was. I wish that I could say that his death was peaceful, but it wasn't.

He did suffer before the end. At one point- the turning  point of the end- I looked straight into his eyes and said- You are very sick and there is nothing more that we can do. Clarence, you are dying. After a brief silence, I asked him if he knew Jesus.  He quickly said yes- he changed after that point. No more did he cry out just in pain- he cried out for Jesus. Begging Jesus to help him.

As the end came closer- several of us had gathered around the bed- his family still not there yet. He begin to say over and over again- God is with me.... God is with me.... I silently prayed for him- asking God to forgive any sins that he may have and to be with him and keep him comfortable.  Over and Over.... " God is with me".

I felt God in his room- I felt- protected- like we were in a glass bubble- one that could never pop. It is hard to explain, unless you have been with someone dying. He was dying, but only to live in eternity with our savior.

Clarence- you are going to be spending Christmas with Jesus this year. The one who made it possible for all of us. There was a peace in that room at that  moment. A peace a calmness. His nurse cradled his head in her arms. Minutes before he took his last breath, his family arrived. They were able to be with him for his last minutes on this earth. There was not a dry eye in the room.

We were in the room as his soul left his earthly body and rose to be with our king. His last words on this earth were... God is with me.   I thought about the word- Immanuel- God with us. He came over 2000 years ago to be with us and he is keeping his promise- as Clarence said just minutes before taking his last breath- God is with me.

In His Service,

Amy

Christmas is coming

There is something about the air this season.................it is turning...........bitter and cold.

The wind of this season has hit me hard.

I feel it and I see it...........our hearts in this house are not the ready for Christmas!

We are the running...............the spending.............the decorating. But what about our hearts?

Isn't this the time of year that we should be preparing our hearts?

As I drive down the roads............... I have never seen such lights...........Christmas lights. The beauty of them twinkling into the dark hours of the night. But have we missed it?  Missed it in this hustle and bustle of the season?   Have we missed the true meaning of Christmas?

It seems easier for us to decorate our homes than to open our hearts to God?

As I walk through the hospital halls I can see it......................even taste it.........the pain of grief!

And yet I have to ask myself, "What is the true meaning of Christmas?"

I have wasted too many moments with the frustrations of this life. So I ask myself today...............what have I done to open my heart up for Christ to come in?

To rid me of stinking self...........knowing the way up is down!

There is still time.............only a few more days......... to slow down and be ready........ready for His coming.

And the truest gift we can give this season is to surrender...........surrender our lives for the opening of our hearts to Christ so we will be ready when HE returns!

Are you ready? He is coming!

Joel 2:1  Blow the trumpet in Zion; sound the alarm on my holy hill. Let all who live in the land tremble, for the day of the LORD is coming. It is close at hand--

all of grace,

Robbie

Jewels

The day............ Julie stepped off this earth into eternity...............I was running around crazy getting ready for a Christmas program at church. Funny how the pain of life can sometimes stop you right in your tracks.

And what is growing without hurting?

What is pain without grieving?

It was the morning when I didn't want to wake to pray that husband said the words I never wanted to hear. One of your high-school friends was killed yesterday.
But I hadn't known because the world that is spinning has been spinning me a bit disoriented lately.

I look at him as the tears swell and tell him; " I don't know how to pray anymore."
And this thing called growing in HIM doesn't shield you from that.
Sometimes I want to step off.........run away to somewhere far......far......away....where death is no longer and good people don't have to die.
I put my feet on the ground not knowing what to do............I walk to the kitchen...........there is trash over-flowing.........dishes piled in the sink, laundry on the floor.
One of the teens slam the front door as she is leaving and it is me who is seeing the filth of my sins. Who am I? I scream.............me a wretched woman with unclean lips who has had a story book life. But not Julie...............she has never had a story book life!
 It is then that I wonder why on Earth I allow the things that annoy me to sacrifice my own happiness?

I think about Julie finally being whole again..............dancing with her Savior. It is now that I realize how I wish I would have lived my life so different. Not wanting to lose any more moments that matter.
Not wanting to continue to RUSH around my day not even noticing that things that truly matter.
If Julie could speak to us now I have a feeling she would say to us all;  "don't miss it......don't miss the mundane things in the everyday life that God gives us. Stop, smell, and notice the gifts that God gives us everyday.........the sun rising in the morning glistening through the trees..........the leaves falling in the winter............the flowers blooming in the Spring!" She would want us to WAKE up to the blessings in our lives.....and to thank God for them in the moment in this now. Don't waste another moment in this life letting the things of this world still our joy.

John 10:10

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

My heart breaks for a friend who words of wisdom were so easily at my finger tips but now are gone...........and it us the living that will continue on in a world that continues to spin and people continue to hurt.............but where we can still have HOPE. So when the grief of this world gets to us I feel like I know what Julie would say............."breath and say His name Immanuel because you are never alone so you never have to be afraid!"  

Matthew 1:23

²³ “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”^[a] (which means “God with us”).

There will be an ache..........a haunting remembrance of a girl who stood by her faith who gave us all direction by her wisdom. Rest easy my friend you are seeing His face just a little ahead of the rest of us.
She has stepped out of our dark world into the Light............to a God in heaven who loves.
 He LOVED the world so much He GAVE................his only SON for us.

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.(John 3:16)

;weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning. (Psalm 30:5)


all of grace,
Robbie