Allow Him to Love You

In the insanity of life, at times all it takes is to quiet ourselves down for a couple minutes and allow Papa God to love on us. To be honest, it takes effort when your mind is filled with everything you need to do. But it transformed me this afternoon. I started listening to The Fish Christian Radio and every song that came on was a worship song that melted my heart.

The picture below was drawn for me a couple years ago from a lady at church. She drew it as I was exhorting the church about the flood of Love that God wants to release upon them. It just takes them to let go of the hurts and pain that they are clinging to and allow God to love them. The artist gave it to me and said she saw this picture as I was sharing. She said that just as I was encouraging the church, that God was cherishing me.

This picture has become one of my prize possessions. Allow Papa God to love on you today. Take a few minutes to focus on Him, listen to some worship music and feel your spirit come alive again. He is already waiting to hug you and love on you. He is already speaking to you. Stop. Wait. Listen. He will never let you down!!

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Sometimes it is easier to see the “Son” through the fog

Have you ever looked at the sun through the fog and can actually see the shape of it. When most times the brightness of the sun would blind us as we look at it in a clear day, the shape of the sun is revealed clearly on a foggy day. This morning I begin to realize how the foggy times in our lives cause us to look to the Son, And we see him more clearly than we do on the good days.

2 Corinthians 3:16-18 But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

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The word of God never comes alive more than when there is fog in your life. It is like every verse you have read your whole life has new meaning and jumps off of the page. Those moments where a verse seems highlighted in the Bible is not a coincidence, that is the Holy Spirit speaking to you. Many people think they do not hear the voice of God, but I can guarantee you, if you are one who finds yourself drawn to certain verses in the Bible, you hear God’s voice more than you think.

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Instead of burring your head in the sand in hard times, Look up to receive the love of the Father like you have never known before. He will never leave you or forsake you.

Hebrews 13:5-6 God has said,‘ Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’ So we say with confidence,‘The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.What can mere mortals do to me?’

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His Mercies are NEW every morning

Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, ‘The Lord is my portion;therefore I will wait for him.’ The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietlyfor the salvation of the Lord. Lamentations 3:22-26

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What does that verse mean to you? To me it means that every day the past is wiped away and I get a new chance at living and receiving an abundant measure of God’s grace.

The understanding of Lamentations 3:22-26 FIRST has to be coupled with Romans 12, where it talks about transforming your mind. I talked about this in a previous blog “The Mind Of Christ: Thinking about Thinking)
(https://livelifeoutloudforgod.com/2014/09/25/the-mind-of-christ-thinking-about-thinking/)

If we do not purpose to have our mind renewed by the washing of the word of God, by focusing our thoughts on God and who HE is, there’s NO WAY that we are going to receive the fullness of the “New Mercies” that are promised to us every day. We will end up thinking about the past and the struggles we have gone through along with the things that maybe tormenting us in the present. God is faithful and He will never leave us, but it is very hard to feel His Love and Grace when we are only focused on all the bad in our lives.

Today, allow God to bring you new mercy, grace, strength and comfort. His word is true…..”For I know the plans I have for you says the Lord.

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My heart is breaking for the innocent

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. IMG_3547.JPG

Power in the name of Jesus: These Kids Got It!!

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.

http://youtu.be/EtyVdC7E6Wo

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That is who my Father God is!! Give it to Him

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.

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Lead with the heart of a Servant, Serve with the heart of the King

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.”

This was all sparked today as I read the news report about Michelle Obama being offended that somebody in Target would ask her to hand them something on the top shelf. She was insulted, BUT if she had the heart of a servant she would’ve counted it as an honor.
http://www.glennbeck.com/2014/12/18/unbelievable-michelle-obamas-target-story-has-nothing-to-do-with-race-and-she-knows-it/

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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Expectations are a killer- But its doesn’t have to effect you

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

 

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The Battle: Christian Kids in Public School with a Biblical or Secular Worldview

Christian-Worldview-00892-300x225     vs  Non-Christian-Worldview-00901-300x225

Parents of Public School Kids: have you discovered that your kids teachers do not use text books for you to be able to review? We had a very interesting first 6th grade parent teacher conference last night. When the Social Studies teacher pulled out a paper from my son of a drawing of a Homosapian who lived 150,000 years ago my “creationist” ears popped up. I wanted to know what my son is being taught so I know how to further supplement his education with a “Biblical World view” teaching. He knows that God created the world in six days about 6000-10,000 years ago. But what he needs is information of the intellect that God created those first people with, Adam & Eve. They were more than “double wise” as his paper said of the homosapian’s. We had a talk about the Tower of Babel as we were waiting in line to talk to his next teacher.

Now I am thankful he does not come home with much homework, because I am going to be ordering some curriculum from Answers in Genesis so he can understand the truth about social studies and science. That is why at Destiny Christian Fellowship we are so adamant about teaching our kids the truth about the authority of the Word of God along with a biblical worldview. Like tomorrow night we will be having a dinosaur night for the kids teaching them what really happened to the dinosaurs, The flood, and many other creation issues.

We have kept my oldest son in public school so he can be a light, it is his choice along with ours. But, we will not sit by and allow him to be filled with a secular world view and not have him know the truth from the word of God. He may be bold and have confidence to speak in front of a group, but he needs to know the truth and have it in him so deep that it comes out of his mouth as easy as breathing. He needs to be able to debate or challenge an issue with more confidence than the other kid. Not with just surface head knowledge, but cold hard scientific facts that creation shows.

It is the parents responsibility to guard their children from the lies of the enemy and most importantly for our children to be aware of them when they hear it. I know he is strong and smart, however it is my responsibility to make sure he has the proper tools and resources to know right from wrong, truth from speculation. If us as parents do not hold fast to the fact that the Bible is Absolute Truth, then we will allow a secular worldview to slowly creep in our mind and our children.

Please make sure you have your own library at your home of material and curriculum for your public school children to draw a Biblical World View from. I will post links below of the places I am going to purchase our own! Our children have the opportunity to transform the educational system from the inside out, they need more than checking in at church and youth group! Kingdom Families function daily inside the home teaching and walking out the truth of God’s word. Time for me to do some research and pray!

 

Comments Copied from Facebook Post this morning:

  • Rachelle Hjertstedt Layzell https://answersingenesis.org/store/newest/…

    Answers in Genesis is an apologetics ministry, dedicated to helping Christians defend their faith and…
    ANSWERSINGENESIS.ORG
  • Aimee  Has he listened to the Jonathan Park series? It may be a little below his age level, but I bet if you put it on for your other kids, he’d like it, too. They teach creation apologetics in a fun, memorable way!
    2 hrs · Unlike · 2
  • Rachelle Hjertstedt Layzell He hasnt yet. I know my mom has them somewhere, I need to download them. Thank you so much for the reminder. My kids listen a lot to adventures in odyssey by Focus on the Family. But I definitely need to switch it up again
  • 2 hrs · Edited · Like · 2 · 
  • Peggy Very important to discuss it, breathe it, learn it deep. It is taught in Science class yes, but also in Reading class, math class, anywhere and everywhere. I taught it everywhere as they still do.
    2 hrs · Unlike · 2
  • Rachelle Hjertstedt Layzell Yep, in Reading class it brought up the other side of things that makes me so thankful for Becky Fischer’s ministry
    http://www.kidsinministryinternational.org ,
    we use her curriculum in our children’s ministry. Tomorrow night while the kids learn about the dinosaurs, the parents will be watching a video that shows how the kingdom of darkness is invading our kids culture. I have her material pinned on my Pinterest site. Kids need to know what to do when they are forced to read books that are opening doors into their spirit. They need to know what to look for and what to guard them self from. If we do not teach them how to be discerning in their spirit they will open up a huge door for the lies of the enemy and his influence to come in. We have been teaching her children for the last year how to hear the voice of God from Becky’s curriculum. It has been phenomenal. From our preschool to the elementary these kids know how to hear God’s voice.
  • Rachelle Hjertstedt Layzell And by the way, I do not think it is just coincidence that they no longer use books. It is much harder for teachers to be held accountable for what they teach.
    2 hrs · Like · 2
  • Peggy Just for the sake of information teachers have the books and get new ones every 7 years, two problems exist one a lot of students can not read (comprehend) at the level of the textbooks and two teachers don’t have time to familiarize themselves to new text books with the constant flow of new curriculum as well as get their students to pass the state test.
  • Rachelle Hjertstedt Layzell Some teachers do, probably more in the elementary. But what I found yesterday at parent-teacher conferences is that in six grade in the Oregon city school district they do not have books because they say the district did not want to buy them. The teacher uses online resources from many different places.
  • Peggy  Oh they went that route, the online sources are probably from a curriculum company.
  • Rachelle Hjertstedt Layzell Unfortunately, because of going online route there are no materials for parents to look through to know and understand what their children are being taught. I’m going to be going through as many links as the teachers give me but that’s not their curriculum in entirety
  • Peggy  Unfortunately most sources support evolution, homosexuality, even anti-America (in the new common core) and other things we need to train our kids against.
  • Peggy  You are completely right Rachelle parents are cut out and teachers don’t have the time to list all their resources.
    50 mins · Unlike · 1 The common core at its roots is anti-parent.
  • Rachelle Hjertstedt Layzell On the way to taking David and Elicia to their private school, with tears in my eyes, I was sharing with them how thankful I am that I don’t have to question what they are being taught. Elicia began to have a discussion about what she would ask the teachers. She said she would ask them, “Who made you?” David went into the explanation that we didnt come here by a big explosion and then happen to come together by ourselves. He went through to describe how evolution says man came to be. And he said, “that is so extremely stupid! How in the world could they believe that!” At the same time when they get into Public high school they will have the tools They need to be bright lights who stand for truth. It made me all the more thankful for Christian resources that are available to help our children in public & private schools understand what truth is and how to discern when they are being fed secular lies. I know Isaac a strong and I will not pull him out of public school, because if he is not there who is going to share the truth with these other kids and the teachers? It is a very hard decision but one God told Isaac & us very clearly.

God is Jealous for YOU!

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This morning I saw a picture from a trip to the Lego Store with my boys and it reminded me that God is jealous for us. He is fierce to protect us against from the evil that comes at us.

I found an article which matches what I am saying perfectly. It even talked about jealously as Shakespeare quoted as being “green” like the hulk in my picture! http://www.girlfriendsingod.com/2012/god-is-jealous-for-me/

This thought puts me at rest in many ways. I know God has got my kids back, He has my husbands back and mine. We are not alone. Even though the face of “the Hulk” in the pic looks scary, to me it shows the intensity God is ready to fight for me with. He loves us with an everlasting love.  Nothing you can do can take that away. No matter how far you run or try to hide, He wants to protect and cover you. Under the shadow of His wings, but in this case, his very muscular arms!

Song of Solomon 8:6-
“Put me like a seal over your heart, Like a seal on your arm.
For love is as strong as death, Jealousy is as severe as Sheol;
Its flashes are flashes of fire, The very flame of the LORD.
7“Many waters cannot quench love, Nor will rivers overflow it;
If a man were to give all the riches of his house for love, It would be utterly despised.”