Pen Pals

Ask, and you will receive. Search, and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened for you. (Matthew 7:7, GWT)

My nine year old has a pen pal who lives on the Mainland. Last Tuesday, she sent a letter to her pen pal. The same day she mailed the letter, she started checking the mail twice a day expecting a letter in return. 

Every day, without fail, she has checked the mail twice a day fully expecting a letter in return.

Every day, without fail, she gets excited that her letter may be in the mail today. 

When she checks the mail and discovers the letter hasn’t arrived yet, she makes comments like, “I’m sure my letter is on it’s way.” and “I can hardly wait to see what my pen pal has to say!” and “Maybe my letter will be here tomorrow.”

My child sent a letter to her pen pal fully expecting a letter in return. 

These pen pals have a sweet relationship. My daughter has confidence in her pen pal. 

When I ask things of God (1 John 5:14-15) on behalf of myself or my friends, I fully without fail, expect to receive. Every day, I check to see if the answer to prayer has arrived. Every day, I get excited to see how prayer is going to be answered. And if the prayer wasn’t answered “today”, I know tomorrow just may be the day our prayers are answered. 

I expect and believe until I receive. 

Why? Because we have a sweet relationship. I have confidence in Him. 

Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him. (1 John 5:14-15)

My Baby Brother is a Cowboy

Jesus looked at them intently and said, "Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God everything is possible." (Mathew 19:26, NLT)

My baby brother is a cowboy. A real cowboy. He walks funny from riding too many bulls. I've only seen him wear something other than Wranglers a handful of times my whole life. Thankfully, he still has all his fingers even though he has "swung a many a rope". When we talk (he lives in Oklahoma), he is always going to pick up a horse, drop off a horse, or check on some cows.

Recently, I was teasing him and told him I was going to take him scuba diving. He said I could take him as soon as I figure out a way for his cowboy hat not to block a scuba mask and regulator and as soon as I figure out a way for his Wranglers not to create too much drag. In other words, he always wears his ten gallon hat and won't exchange his jeans for board shorts and forget the idea of a speedo. Sis won't link up with that!

When I look at him I see no difference in him and the cowboys who lived in the "cowboy era". We could plop him down in that era and no one could pick him out of that crowd.

Today I was walking the beach thinking about him and the cowboy time in history. As a huge jet flew over my head, I thought, I wonder what those cowboys would think today if they could see huge jets fly.

It was once said it was impossible for people to fly. What those people said didn't make today's truth any less true. The ones who didn't believe it, didnt stop the ones who made it a reality. Today hundreds of thousands of people fly all over the globe every day. What once seemed impossible is now taken for granted.

Jesus looked at them intently and said, "Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God everything is possible."

Jesus told the dead to raise.
The dead obeyed.

Need your marriage raised from the dead?
Need your health to raised from the dead?
Need you finances to raised from the dead?

Call it forth and give God the glory. Nothing...no thing...is impossible with Him!


Romans 4:17
Ephesians 5:1
Colossians 3:23
1 Corinthians 10:31

The Tiny Lightsaber

I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you've received it, it will be yours. (Matthew 11:24, NLT)

We are currently renovating a rooftop apartment. Last night, we were at Lowes picking out tile, doors, windows, paint, etc.

Our youngest, Gracie, saw a light wand of some sort. A little trinket flash light that looks a lot like a tiny lightsaber. Gracie is a huge Star Wars fan. I saw her face as she inspected it. She turned it on. She turned it off. She turned it over. She turned it around. She inspected every aspect of the trinket.

I don't buy trinkets. She knew not to come to me. I have a rule. We don't buy something every time we go to the store.

But Daddy, Daddy blesses his baby girls! She said, "Poppa, can I please have this light? It's like a tiny light saber!" Daddy is also a Star Wars fan. He "gets" Gracie.

As we were walking out of Lowes, she was skipping across the parking lot (tiny lightsaber in tow) and grabbed my hand. She said, "When I saw the lightsaber, I prayed and asked God for it. I believed I would get it. And now I have it! Thank you Mommy!"

The tiny Lightsaber life lesson:

Pray
Believe
Receive

Key point:

She knew to ask her Father.

Since her father provided her with something as seemingly insignificant as a trinket, how much more does a perfect Father provide what we need! (Luke 11:13)

I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you've received it, it will be yours. (Matthew 11:24, NLT) Even tiny light sabers.

Popped

For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. (Romans 10:10 NKJV)

One of my friends posted the following link on my Facebook, mahalo David Johnson, enjoy!

http://vimeo.com/katkapruskova/flowerstimelapse

As I was watching the flowers pop open, it occurred to me, that is exactly what we look like when we received Jesus Christ as our Lord! (1 John 4:15) As He made us a new creation, we popped for the first time ever, we reached for The Son, and produced beauty! (2 Corinthians 5:17, Matthew 7:17)

I noticed one of the flowers in the video had a flower within a flower. As we continue to reach for Him daily, we continue to produce beauty to everyone who comes into contact with us shining our light before men glorifying our Father! (John 15:5, Matthew 5:16)

What about you? Have you "popped" yet and received Jesus? If not, I encourage you to today. Just repeat the following out loud with me.

Father God, I need you and Your Son, Jesus! I believe Jesus shed His precious blood on the cross for me! With all my heart I believe that You, God, raised Jesus from the dead! I accept Jesus as my Savior and according to You Word, I am born again! Thank You for your unlimited grace! Thank You for Your perfect plan for my life because You are perfect! Transform my life and make me new in the name of Jesus! (Jeremiah 29:11, Romans 10:10, 2 Corinthians 5:17)

If you said that prayer for the very first time, welcome to the family! Get connected with a solid bible based church. If you need help in finding one, please let us know, mahalo!

Like a Boss!

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. (2 Corinthians 5:17, NKJV)

Since we are in Christ, we are a new creation! All things have passed away! How many? ALL! All things have become new! How many? ALL! We forget the former things and we press onto what lies ahead! (Isaiah 43:18) Who defines us? The Word of God defines us! Not the mirror, or a magazine cover, or Hollywood, or the world, or anything/one else!

You are made in His image! (Genesis 1:27) The God of Earth, Heaven, the sea and everything in them LOVES YOU and is faithful to YOU! (Psalm 146:6 and Lamentations 3:23) If someone in your life attempts to "recall" how you were...just smile and say, "Nope...I'm new, thank You Jesus!" What if we did something stupid yesterday? Make amends to the best of your ability, then take it to The Father! His mercies are new every morning, GREAT is His faithfulness!

If you say, "Uh, well...I don't FEEL new." We walk by faith, not by sight! (2 Corinthians 5:7) COMMAND your flesh to line up with The Word of God! Exchange not feeling new with BOLDLY proclaiming, "I AM NEW!!!"

If you don't currently believe you are new, repeat this out loud to yourself everyday, ten times a day or 100 times a day or 100 times an hour until the revelation of why Jesus came drops from your head down into your spirit, then you will KNOW, "I. AM. NEW!!!"

Don't allow yourself to be robbed from even one part of your full redemption package! If we purchased a package from a department store, would we be cool with taking home only a 1/3 of it? Shoots no! We would demand the FULL package. How much more, must we refuse to be robbed of EVERYTHING Jesus provided in His full redemption package?! Why accept the gift of salvation by faith but not all other gifts Jesus provided?

Walk it, Talk it, Be it...like a boss!

Please Believe Me

Jesus said  "Only believe." (Luke 8:50)

I am very blessed with many friends and family members in the medical profession. Medical science is fascinating. What God designed the human body to do is beyond astounding. 

When a person decides to go into the medical field, they must first receive instruction. They sit under the training of a professor according to the book, they do their internship according to the book and then they perform their duties according to the book. 

My question is this. What if they consistently refused to believe what is in the book? What if, when their professor taught a subject, they argued against the teaching and refused to believe what's in the book? What if they went to lunch with their friends after class to argue what aspects of the book they just couldn't believe? What if they consistently refused to perform their internship duties according to the book offering up such statements such as, "I just don't know if I can believe all that stuff in the book." What if they attempted to perform their duties on the job refusing to operate according to the book with their reasoning being they just cannot believe everything that's in the book. In spite of research, statistics, success stories, history, etc. 

My friends and family would say, "They wouldn't be in the medical profession very long if at all."

Even if they were, in an emergency situation (or any situation) would we want this person administering medical attention on our behalf or on the behalf of our children? I'm very confident the answer to that is no. 

Jesus said, "Only believe." Believe what? Believe everything in His Word.

Believe He is and He is a rewarder. (Hebrews 11:6)

Believe all scripture is God breathed. (2Timothy 3:16)

Believe God cannot lie. (Hebrews 6:18)

Believe God's Word is everything He says it is! Alive! Powerful! (Hebrews 4:12)

Since we believe God's Word regarding salvation, literally eternally saving us from Hell, it is just as easy to believe everything else in His Word including but not limited to, healing, prosperity, tithing, a victorious life. In other words, perfect peace. How can we believe His Word for salvation but not for every other promise? 

Also, I'd really like to establish a concrete foundational issue. We are not begging God to move on our behalf. God is a loving Father who delights in the prosperity of His servant. (Psalm 35:27)  He has already blessed us with every spiritual blessing. (Ephesians 1:3) God is always good. (John 10:10) Nothing and no one ever dilutes the wonderful goodness of God. He never changes.  (Malachi 3:6)  Bitter and sweet cannot flow from the same fountain. (James 3:11)

As born again believers, we are students of His Word. He has set before us professors. (Ephesians 4:11-16) 

Jesus said, "Only believe." I believe He said only as to be so full of belief in every aspect of The Word there is no room for any doubt, not even an ounce. 

This morning I read another version of this scripture. Instead of "Only believe" it says "Just have faith." How much faith (or confidence) do we desire our family, friends and especially our children to have in us? How much faith do we put in complete strangers when a medical emergency arises? How much more faith can we have in our perfect Father and His Word?

I've heard Joyce Meyer say, "We all believe in something, may as well be something good."

What do you believe? 

Provision

But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. (Hebrews 11:6)

My husband, Mike, does the majority of the shopping for our household. Our girls always want to go shopping with Daddy. They know if they go shopping with Dad, they leave the store with their own pack of gum.

Our girls have often asked, "If I am good, will you buy me gum?" His response, "No I will buy you gum because I love you, I know you like gum, and I want to bless you." Buying them gum isn't about what they do but is about who he is.

Our girls know who their father is and they know good things come from him. They have never questioned his existence or his ability to provide. They know, based on experience, that he consistently gives them good gifts. They also know how to position themselves to receive from him by having complete faith in him to provide. 

Mike operates in these principles with our girls because he has learned these principles from his Heavenly Father. He knows who his Father is. He believes God is and believes He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. God blesses us, not because of what we do but because of who He is!

Do you know the Father?
Do you believe He is?
Do you believe He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him?

Many know The Father. Many believe He is. Many believe He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. But some struggle with His provision for them personally. Take a step of faith today. His provision is not based on what you do but who He is. Dig into His promises in His wonderful Word and just believe!