Refined

Recently, I have felt like anything that could pierce my heart, has. Anything that could make me uncomfortable in my personal life, in my financial life as well has my professional life, has. Then today...the pennacle of that hurt, I READ this email. Funny thing about this email, it sat in my in box since December 14, 2006...That was 5 days ago. The Lord's timing is perfect. I was settleing down to write a blog on a broken vessel, which I still endeavor to do, but I felt this word was better fitting. I hope it touches some of you the way it did me.


Malachi 3:3 says: "He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver."
This verse puzzled some women in a Bible study and they wondered what this statement meant about the character and nature of God.
One of the women offered to find out the process of refining silver and get back to the group at their next Bible Study.
That week, the woman called a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him at work. She didn't mention anything about the reason for her interest beyond her curiosity about the process of refining Silver.
As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest as to burn away all the impurities.
The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot; then she thought again about the verse that says: "He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver." She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time the silver was being refined.
The man answered that yes, he not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver was left a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed.
The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silversmith, "How do you know when the silver is fully refined?" He smiled at her and answered, "Oh, that's easy -- when I see my image in it."

If today you are feeling the heat of the fire, remember that God has his eye on you and will keep watching you until He sees His image in you.

PUSH

PUSH an acrynom used for Pray Until Something Happens...
For me, it is Praise Until Something Happens.

Sometimes in our walk of faith we encounter trials that leave us broken...broken hearted, broken spirited and with broken dreams.

I recently went through a trial like this. I was left holding pieces of my heart & dreams in my hand. I would enter my prayer closet and let the Lord know just how hurt I was...then I would pick up my hurt and go on. How can the Lord mend your brokenness if you don't leave it for him?

About a month later after many many attempts to put the pieces back together myself, i determined I would go into my prayer closet and I would Praise the Lord. I would praise Him until I was restored...and I did. When I left that room, I left my brokenness at the Altar of Exchange so that he could restore my heart, dreams and my spirit.

David says in Psalms..
Ps 34:1
I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth...
He doesn't say...I will bless the LORD when things are good...BUT it says at all times!
Even when it is not easy to Praise...We must praise through our circumstances....The Bible says he takes the foolish things of this world...

So, I encourage you to ~PUSH~

Measurements

We compare everything in terms of measurements. We measure how much time we have in a day. We measure our successes and failures. We even measure our self worth. But what scale are we using to measure this. How many of us measure our SELF WORTH and who we are to Cosmo...or other magazines on the newstand?
Are we getting true results?
Our self worth should be measured through the eyes of God, our savior. His Word says he knows our hearts. That means that he looks on our hearts and not our physical. He is not concerned with our physical measurements..ha ha..or what style jeans we wear or if we 'measure' up to the women in Hollywood.
His concern is how do we measure up to the woman God talks about in Proverbs?
31:10
Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies.
31:11
The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil.
31:12
She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life.
31:13
She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands.
31:14
She is like the merchants ' ships; she bringeth her food from afar.
31:15
She riseth also while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her household, and a portion to her maidens.
31:16
She considereth a field, and buyeth it: with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard.
31:17
She girdeth her loins with strength, and strengtheneth her arms.
31:18
She perceiveth that her merchandise is good: her candle goeth not out by night.
31:19
She layeth her hands to the spindle, and her hands hold the distaff.
31:20
She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy.
31:21
She is not afraid of the snow for her household: for all her household are clothed with scarlet.
31:22
She maketh herself coverings of tapestry; her clothing is silk and purple.
31:23
Her husband is known in the gates, when he sitteth among the elders of the land.
31:24
She maketh fine linen, and selleth it; and delivereth girdles unto the merchant.
31:25 Strength and honour are her clothing; and she shall rejoice in time to come.
31:26
She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness.
31:27
She looketh well to the ways * of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness.
31:28
Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her.
31:29 Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all.
31:30 Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised.
It took me a long time to understand this concept: My self worth is not measured by what men of this world think of me. My self worth is measured through the eyes of God. He has made ME in His image. I am perfectly and wonderfully made.
I encourage us all to reexamine the scales in which we weigh ourselves on!!
How do we look through the eyes of God?

Strongholds

After a short whirlwind of a relationship, I found myself pondering on strongholds. There are many people in this world that are bound to something.
What is a stronghold?
Webster's describes it this way:
Main Entry: strong·hold Pronunciation: 'stro[ng]-"hOldFunction: noun1 : a fortified place2 a : a place of security or survival b : a place dominated by a particular group or marked by a particular characteristic

I found the second description to be quite interesting. A place of security. Isn't that what it is exactly. If we have a stronghold in our lives such as drugs, alcohol, money, people or even food...we find security in these places. A place of refuge.
I was discussing this with a friend of mine and she said that we must take these strongholds of the physical world and turn them into strongholds of righteousness....
What a concept? I saw in my mind's eye a sort of a dock, pier perhaps...and tied from this pier were different ropes each attached to different things of this world that I cling to...find security in. I saw me releasing these into the waters of the unknown. I began to wonder who was going to take care of these things that I so carefully clung to for so long. That is when I heard the Lord tell me to let these things go, that he will take care of them. So, my focus then turned to these ropes now flapping in the wind. I began to tie those up towards heaven. Turning my strongholds of this world to the strongholds of Righteouness...finding my security and my safe place in the shadows of the Almighty.
We do not have to walk in this life with "things" binding us to this world. We can set them off into the blue........