I have some very precious people in my life who are going through the most gross darkness of pain for innocence that has been lost and indescribable pain. I know God is close to them and I pray for mercy, grace, peace and his tangible love to surround them. This Scripture is ringing loud in my ears tonight.
Psalm 37:18-19 Day by day the Lord takes care of the innocent,and they will receive an inheritance that lasts forever. They will not be disgraced in hard times;even in famine they will have more than enough.
There are times in life when nothing makes sense. Times when you are so desperate the only place to turn is God and His Word.
Then you see the stupidity and depravity of humanity…..Just today I saw a news article where two parents gave their kid dope in its bottle just to watch its reactions. Tragically the baby died. Or when you hear about a child being molested by their own family member. God have mercy on that child and the family that was destroyed because of erroneous actions. Or to the person who is falsely accused for something that never happened and now sits in prison with no hope in sight.
BUT GOD!!! I have to believe that despite all that we don’t understand, God is good. His character never changes. He is a God of Purity, Truth, Justice, Peace and Love. I believe in the infallible God breathed Word of God, the Holy Bible. However, there are so many scriptures when we are walking through a deep valley that are very hard to understand.
God is timeless. He always was and always will be. When we read the Word we have to keep in mind that it was written for us in the perspective of our whole life. When you read through Psalms 121, when you are hurt, you might say “this didn’t work for me”. BUT again, God said His “Word wont return void, it accomplishes what it sets out to do. ”
That is where faith and trust comes in. We need to hold on to the character of God. Hold on to the fact when he said, “He will never leave us or forsake us.” That he will. He can not lie. It is impossible.
If you are walking through a dark valley, know that “He who began a good work in you WILL complete it.” He will give you a “peace that surpasses all your understanding and will guard your heart and mind”. We don’t have to understand why, we just need to know where to get a hug and receive the only hope that will last for eternity.
Weeping may last for a night BUT Joy comes in the morning. Hang on, find people to pray and support you. Nothing compares to finding a solid church family you can trust.
What an INCREDIBLE morning. On the way to church this last Sunday, I wept as I listened to “Break Every Chain” by Jesus Culture. I began picturing the elementary class I was about to teach getting a hold of the concept that there is Power in the name of Jesus.
We have been teaching them from Becky Fischer’s Kids In Ministry International curriculum “Hearing God’s Voice”. We are in our last chapter learning about the enemy’s counterfeits. We have spent a whole year teaching our kids how to hear the voice of God. For most of them it is now a natural thing. Something that some of the parents are still learning to grasp. They have learned all the different ways they can hear Gods voice. Now they are moving out with the words of knowledge and prophetically to each other and those they know. They are worshiping with abandonment and praying for the sick and seeing God heal. They have an unstoppable faith.
When I arrived at Destiny Christian Fellowship’s Elementary class, I was so overwhelmed with the Presence of God and had so much anticipation of what He was going to do. I began class teaching the lesson about how the enemy lies to people making them believe he is just as powerful as God, or that he can be everywhere at one time, or that he knows everything. BUT THAT IS NOT TRUE! Those are only God’s characteristics.
I then had the kids write down on a little piece of paper things that the enemy tries to scare them with or tempt them with or make them believe a lie about. These pieces of paper were formed into a chain. Then I had someone in the class put a white robe around themselves to represent Jesus and as we listened and worshipped with “Break Every Chain” the person representing Jesus came and broke the chains. The kids then rushed up to break and rip up the chains because they knew they had the power of Jesus inside of them to see those chains broken. It was such a visual representation of what takes place in our lives and also what happens in others lives as we pray for them.
One of the songs I taught them was, “Romans 16:19 says”. We sang and did the actions for this song for 10 minutes. They got it and loved it. The importance of getting the Word of God in their heart is critical at this age. Song is the easiest way to do this. My other favorite Music Group who does this is “God Rocks”. They sing pure word for word scripture. My kids and I have listened to it for 8 years. It is one of the best. They have DVD’s, CD’s and books for kids. Each one has a theme with verses that back it up. Powerful and life changing. Worth every cent of investment. You can also find some on Christian TV channels or YouTube. The other group my class loved watching was “The Rizers” you can find them on YouTube. Purely scripture done in a fun and entertaining way to watch and listen.
Here is the link for Romans 16:19 Says
One little 1st grader told me after class that the power of Jesus is in his hands. That when he prayed for his grandma the heat from his hand made a red mark on her back. He knows without a shadow of a doubt the power of His healing God. He is also quite the worship leader. From the first day he came to class he came up front and let these kids into powerful times of worship.
No one can say that you miss out of church when you work in children’s ministries at DCF because we have CHURCH in our classrooms.
Unfailingly Love, Unlimited Grace, Dependable Strength, Pillar of Wisdom, Full of Understanding, lover of our Soul, Remover of Pain and Heartache – That is who my Father God is!!
I cant imagine what this life would be like if I were alone without my Daddy God. Too many situations lately what have made me drop to my knees and cry out for mercy for others. When you see the hurt and heartache people go through, even those who are walking with Christ, it seems unbearable. However, the burden I carry for others has to be taken somewhere.
God said, “My yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” If I keep the burdens of others on myself, and never take them to my Daddy God, then I will lose my joy and peace. God never intended you to carry everything on your own. Having compassion for people is one thing, but allowing the burdens to transform you into the incredible hulk is another. Give your heartache to Him!! He will give you the grace to carry what you are supposed to and help you walk in peace and joy in the process.
If my belief and trust in the character of God changes in bad times, how does that affect the effectiveness of my faith in the good times? It is in the hard times of life where we have to hold on like never before to who God says he is. He is all-knowing, He is present everywhere at the same time, He has all power and can do anything at anytime. His Love never fails, He is good all the time. He never lies. He is a God of His word. The stripes that Jesus took on His back at Calvary are for our healing. We are paid with a price and have full access to EVERYTHING that has been granted to me as a daughter of the king. There is nothing impossible for our God! Hold onto this with everything you have if you can’t do it on your own ask for us to stand with you. You’re not alone!
This is my hearts cry this for myself and also to teach my children.
This quote has been in my heart early this morning. I tried to find the right pictures to display its meaning. “LEAD WITH THE HEART OF A SERVANT, SERVE WITH THE HEART OF THE KING.”
Michelle Obama made the absolute most arrogant and selfish comment that any First Lady has ever uttered.
“I tell this story – I mean, even as the first lady – during that wonderfully publicized trip I took to Target, not highly disguised, the only person who came up to me in the store was a woman who asked me to help her take something off a shelf. Because she didn’t see me as the first lady, she saw me as someone who could help her. Those kinds of things happen in life. So it isn’t anything new.” – Michelle Obama to People Magazine
This statement is a complete disgrace and embarrassment to any American. This is not the kind of leadership quality, let alone character quality I want my children to follow. My fellow Americans, please raise the bar!
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“Know “Who” you are and “Whose” you are, so when people come to you offering “Less” than you are worth, you know how to identify it and “Stand Up” for yourself!” – Rachelle Layzell
Ever since last night I had been carrying a heavy spirit. Our family went to an indoor skatepark in NE Portland and that afternoon there were some rough guys downstairs blasting some nasty music as they were shredding on their bikes. I came home and couldn’t shake the heaviness, but to tell you the truth I wasn’t trying very hard.
This morning the kids and I were not the most joyful peaceful people. I knew I had to shake this off before any ladies came to the our connect group this morning at the church office. I was going to go pray but was drawn to the piano in the back room. I haven’t played the piano in years but something inside of me was crying out to connect with God in a deep way. I began to play a few worship songs that I had learned over 20 years ago, which was sweet but I was stumbling more than I was feeling my connection to God. I stopped and went to see if anyone had arrived yet and since no one had, God told me to go back to the piano. I began playing a simple melody and put words to it which were a cry of my heart for the Lord to restore the joy of my salvation. As I did the Holy Spirit came so tenderly and washed away the heaviness that was on my heart. Pretty soon a beautiful song began to be played.
The Lord is so faithful and wants to set us free, he does not desire us to walk around this life under attack in anyway. We can live a joyful and free life IF we ask him to come and set us free. We have a choice every day to remain overwhelmed by our burdens or give them to God, seek his face and learn to walk in his freedom.
I’ve heard the definition of insanity is doing the same thing every day and expecting different results. At times we hold onto the attacks/burdens/strongholds in our life because they bring a sense of familiarity and comfort. With them we feel justified in our emotions and lack of the fruit of the spirit being displayed in our life. WHAT A LOAD OF CRUD!! That justification is a demonic plot of the enemy to keep you/me from being free!! In Revelations it says, “we overcome by the blood of the lamb and the WORD OF OUR TESTIMONY.
Today the word of my testimony came out in a song I sang and played to the Lord. It was an intimate and precious moment transforming my spirit in an instant. Please recognize when you are in this place and seek the Face of the only one who can bring freedom! #youareblessed #LiveLifeOutLoudForGod
Just a little wisdom from someone who has dealt with expectations from others.
Expectations lead to your finger pointed at others when they do not behave the way we expect and want. We can not control other people’s thoughts, feelings or actions but we can control OURS! Love and unity is a choice that we give to others despite if our expectations have been met or not. Do not let the enemy rob you of pure love in your relationships! It is something we have to walk out daily. It is not easy, but it is worth it! – Rachelle Layzell
Live Life Out Loud For God 