From Idolatry to IDENTITY!

I've been studying the life of Moses and thus the early history of the Israelites. Moses is such a fine example of the type of relationship God desires with each and every one of us -- a personal and intimate relationship. Now Moses wasn't perfect; He struggled with frustration and sometimes he even had a bit of a temper. But Moses also exhibited exceptional humility, endless compassion, and extraordinary obedience. The Israelites, on the other hand, were another story!

Just imagine being a slave in Egypt. Now imagine God hearing your cries for freedom, Him sending two men to face the Pharaoh on your behalf, and then witnessing the mighty acts of God as He displays His might and authority over the Egyptians and their "deities." Moreover, if you study the passages in Exodus you will see that the Lord literally hardened Pharaoh's heart so He could show the people (both Egyptian and Israelite) that He is God and there is no other. What's even cooler to note is that the plaques the Lord sent had a distinct purpose and strategy - to confront and attack these prized Egyptian IDOLS.

Plague #1 -- God turned the Nile River to BLOOD thus showing His authority over not only the god Hapi, the "spirit of the Nile" and Khnum, the "guardian of the Nile," but also over the Nile itself!!

Plague #2 -- God sent hordes of FROGS since the goddess Heket was pictured as having the head of a frog. The Egyptians therefore considered the frog sacred, and now they were up to their ears in them!

Plague #3 -- God sent GNATS/LICE to make not only the Egyptian priests unclean, but also the animals that they would sacrifice to their false gods. No ceremonies for you!!

Plague #4 -- FLIES... biting, swarming, dirty flies also resulted in no ceremonies or worship. These were sent in opposition to Geb, the god of the earth.

Plague #5 -- PESTILENCE brought forth disease and death to many of the Egyptian livestock. God directed this plague against Hathor, the goddess who took on the form of a cow -- another animal considered sacred.

Plague #6 -- BOILS were sent to "dethrone" Imhotep, the god of medicine. No remedies could cure these sores, and all were afflicted. From the lowly servant all the way up to Pharaoh himself!! No Band-Aid could relieve these boo boos!

Plague #7 -- HAIL was sent to quiet Nut, the goddess of the sky, and Shu, the god of the air and separator of earth and sky. Both were found powerless against the Lord, God of Israel.

Plague #8 -- God sent LOCUSTS with the wind. And while the Egyptians cried out to Wadjet, the cobra goddess, begging her to protect her realm, thousands of  those flying critters devoured everything in sight! Even Set, the protector of the crops was hopelessly helpless.

Plague #9 -- DARKNESS, heavier than night, blotted out the sun and covered Egypt. Priests cried out to Ra, the sun god, pleading for him to drive his golden chariots across the sky and bring light again. But only when God willed it would the sun appear again!

Plague #10 -- DEATH to the FIRSTBORN - both human and animal. This plague is commemorated in the feast of Passover. Each Israelite family was to choose a young goat or lamb for a sacrifice. They took special care of this lamb until the evening of the fourteenth day of the first month. The lamb was then slaughtered and its innocent blood was painted with sprigs of hyssop over the doorframes of each house. Those houses that did not have the blood of the lamb over its doorways would be struck by the angel of death. From the lowliest to the highest, all of the firstborn sons (and even of the animals) would die. Finally, and because of this final plague, Pharaoh authorized Israel's release from slavery!

As they traveled away from Egypt, the Lord showed His presence with Israel in a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. Like a shield and a sun, His people had the constant assurance that He was there. Furthermore, when Pharaoh changed his mind and chased after his "slaves," God parted a mighty sea so His people could walk on dry land to safety! All of the Egyptian warriors who pursued the Israelites onto the dry land were then drowned when God sent the waters back to their original place.

Now, I don't know about you, but I think if I had experienced those plagues and miracles, I wouldn't doubt God for a second. And there were some Israelites who truly did believe and did not doubt. However, there were many who regretted leaving Egypt and actually missed worshiping idols. In fact, they missed the old ways so much so that they formed a cow out of gold, began to worship it, and partied hard like pagans. As a consequence, God had them put to death.

What those men and women failed to grasp was their IDENTITY. They were God's chosen people, and yet they preferred the tangible albeit fleeting delights of the flesh. What a shame.

As a Christian, my prayer is that I NEVER doubt or forget my true Identity -- who I am in Christ.
Here are just a few verses that have helped me grasp just this:

• John 1:12 - I am a child of God!
• Romans 8:15 - As His child, I can call God "Abba, Father" (He's my Daddy!)!
• Romans 15:7 - I am accepted and acceptable!
• Colossians 2:10 - I am complete in Him!
• Ephesians 2:10 - I am God's workmanship, created in Christ to do His work!
• John 15:15 - I am Christ's friend!
• Colossians 3:12 - I am chosen of God, holy, and dearly loved!
• Psalm 139 - I am known intimately!
• 2 Corinthians 5:17 - I am a new creation in Christ!
• John 15:9 - I am loved!!!

In closing, I hope you know how loved and accepted you are! When you took your very first breath, the Lord smiled!!  YOU are the delight of His heart!

Is there a verse that has helped you find your true identity in Christ? If so, I'd love to hear from you! Please comment and share!

For my Husband...

For the letter "H" I was originally going to write about Hip-Hop. Yes, I know that's random! But my husband, Andrew, and I enjoyed a night out a few weeks ago to go see Toby Mac's Deep Hits Tour 2016.  We enjoyed singing and dancing to #TobyMac along with #Building429, #BrittNicole, #FindingFavour, #ColtonDixon, and #CapitalKings. It was a fun night!! But as for my "H" topic, the Lord has other things in mind for me to write about. This week He wants me to Honor my Husband!

I met Andrew the very first week that I started as the Junior High Associate at Highland Park Presbyterian Church in Dallas, Texas. He was one of my adult volunteers, and a handsome one at that! Of course the very first thing I noticed about him was his Irish accent, but what drew me to him was his vibrant, joyful spirit. He was not only great with the kids, but they absolutely adored him. He had a way of being firm, yet fun, authoritative, yet approachable. And although I was sort of seeing another man, I remember praying to God and telling Him that I would prefer to date a man like Andrew!

As we got to know each other, we discovered we were the same age and shared many of the same interests. We began to hang out outside of  youth events, and eventually those casual outings turned into full-fledged dates! Since I wasn't supposed to date my volunteers, we set up a meeting with Chris Robinson, my awesome boss and youth pastor. His response was classic. He simply laughed when we told him and declared, "Y'all are perfect for each other!" Nine moths later we were married, and after 21 years together, I'd say we're still going strong.

What I love most about Andrew is that he's (striving to only use "H" words):
Humble, Honorable, Honest, Holy, Heavenly-minded, Happy, Hyper, Hilarious, Hopeful, Heartfelt, Harmonious, Healthy, Handy, Helpful, Hospitable, Hip and Hot!

Best of all, Andrew is my Handsome Honey and my Hero!

Photo taken by: West Vita

God is great, God is GOOD!

I was listening to Chris Tomlin's song, "Good Good Father" on my way to work, and couldn't stop thinking of my friend, Lan Zarief. The Lord uses this precious woman to speak of His intimate and personal love to her neighbors in her home state of New York. I've never met Lan in person, but we've connected via phone conversations, letters, and emails through the ministry I serve called, Word Ministries.

Word Ministries is a non-profit ministry that gives away New Covenant Bibles - Bibles that were mainly compiled for the Jewish nation. I say this because the name Yeshua is used instead of Jesus, and it lists the Hebrew Scripture prophecies that Jesus fulfilled. Furthermore, Word Ministries also gives away prayer books entitled, The Long Love Letter.  This beautiful book, written by the ministry's founder, Margaret Ruth Baker, is filled with Scriptures yet it's written as if the Lord were speaking them directly to you, the reader! And each Scripture focuses on the precious, meaningful, and infinite love of the Father.

Lan is one of our most dedicated ministry followers. She takes these prayer books and uses them to share the love of God. "People don't understand the Lord's great love for them," she explains. "They desperately need to know that they are loved. They need to know that they are loved by God who is, indeed, a good, good Father."

Lyrics to "Good, Good Father"by Chris Tomlin

I've heard a thousand stories of what they think you're like
But I've heard tender whispers of love in the dead of night
And you tell me that you're pleased

And that I'm never alone

You're a Good, Good Father
It's who you are, it's who you are, it's who you are
And I'm loved by you
It's who I am, it's who I am, it's who I am

I've seen many searching for answers far and wide
But I know we're all searching
For answers only you can provide
Cause you know just what we need
Before we, we say a word

You're a Good, Good Father
It's who you are, it's who you are, it's who you are
And I'm loved by you
It's who I am, it's who I am, It's who I am

You are perfect in all of your ways
You are perfect in all of your ways
You are perfect in all of your ways

You're a Good, Good Father
It's who you are, it's who you are, it's who you are...

Moreover, I was reading in Brennan Manning's "Abba's Child," and was struck by something he shared... here, let's read it together:

     "Once, on a five-day silent retreat, I spent the entire time in John's Gospel. Whenever a sentence caused my heart to stir I wrote it out longhand in a journal. The first of many entries was also the last: 'The disciple Jesus loved was reclining next to Jesus... He leaned back on Jesus's breast' (John 13:23,25). We must not hurry past this scene... John lays his head on the heart of God, on the breast of the Man whom the council of Nicea defined as 'being coequal and consubstantial to the Father...God of God, Light from Light, True God from True God.' This passage...can become a personal encounter, radically affecting our understanding of who God is and what our relationship with Jesus is meant to be. God allows a young Jew to listen to His heartbeat!! ...John was not intimidated by Jesus. He was not afraid of His Lord and Master... (Rather) John was deeply affected by this sacred Man... 

     "As John leans back on the breast of Jesus and listens to the heartbeat of the Great Rabbi, he comes to know Him in a way that surpasses mere cognitive knowledge... John experiences Jesus as the human face of the God who is love. And in coming to know who the Great Rabbi is, John discovers who he is -- the disciple Jesus loved. Years later the disciple would write, 'In love there can be no fear, but fear is driven out by perfect love: because to fear is to expect punishment, and anyone who is afraid is still imperfect in love' (1 John 4:18).

     "...I sense this what happened in the upper room. Not only did the beloved disciple come to know Jesus, but the meaning of all that Jesus had taught suddenly exploded like a starburst. 'I first learned the Word of God when the Great Rabbi held me silently against his heart.' 

     "For John the heart of Christianity was not an inherited doctrine but a message born of his own experience. And the message he declared was, 'God is love!' (1 John 4:16)."

I pray we can each, "...being rooted and established in love...(will) have (the) power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ,  and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God." (Ephesians 3:18-19).

Because NOTHING can separate us from Christ’s love!

"And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:38-39).

If you would like more information on Word Ministries, please visit our website at:

www.wordministriesinternational.org.  

If you would like to receive a FREE copy of the New Covenant Bible or Margaret Ruth Baker's A Long Love Letter, you can email the ministry at: wordministriesinternational@yahoo.com.

From Head 2 Heart: What Are You Afraid Of?

From Head 2 Heart: What Are You Afraid Of?: Ok, fine. I'll admit it. I'm afraid of bees! Well, not just bees, but also wasps, hornets, yellow-jackets, scorpions... I guess y...

What Are You Afraid Of?

Ok, fine. I'll admit it. I'm afraid of bees! Well, not just bees, but also wasps, hornets, yellow-jackets, scorpions... I guess you could say, anything that stings! I don't Fear lions, tigers, and bears (oh my!) because, frankly, they're not very common in my small Texas town. But stinging, biting critters? Well, they are a real and present danger!! And don't get me started on snakes! UGH!

What are you afraid of? What causes you to feel the debilitating pangs of Fear?
Darkness?           Loneliness?           Failure?            Ridicule?            Death?

One thing that is certain...we all struggle with Fear. Even the most confident, mightiest leaders of our time have had to face and battle Fear. And this was something I discovered when I was studying one of the most famous and beloved Bible heroes - Moses.

Although I knew that Moses had worries about his call to rescue his people who were enslaved in Egypt, I never knew that his Fear and insecurity actually pushed him to resist this call! And resist he did - 5 times to be exact!! For the full story, please read Exodus 3:1-22 and 4:1-17.

Let's look at the 5 excuses Moses used to try and "dodge" the job: 

1) "Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?" Moses asked God.

Basically, he's asking God, "Why ME?" He asked this because Moses knew his own heart. He knew his own shortcomings, failures, murderous history, etc. He didn't see himself the way God saw him, and he didn't feel like he was the right one to do the job.

I love how God answers him, "I will be with you!" The Lord graciously tries to re-direct Moses away from himself to the One who can do anything He wants through anyone He chooses!

But that wasn't enough for Moses...

2) "Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you,' and they ask me, 'What is His name?' Then what shall I tell them?"

Again, we see Moses' doubt... "I don't know what to say! I don't know what to do! And I certainly don't know YOU well enough to explain to them WHO is sending me!"

And God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM! This is what you are to say to the Israelites: I AM has sent me to you... the name by which I am to be remembered from generation to generation."
(This is where YAHWEH was derived. It means, He IS and He will BE!)

Right there, I would have thought that Moses would've been put in his place, but no....

3) Then Moses asked God, "What if they don't believe me or listen to me?"

Actually, I understand this question! In fact, I think we would all be a bit worried if we were told to gather every elder/Israelite leader and explain to them that God had appeared to us and called us to free them from their slavery! How could we not expect some skepticism? God understood this, as well, and therefore provided Moses with some supernatural signs (with his staff and with his hand) to prove that he was, indeed, sent by Yahweh.

But even these signs were not enough to fully build Moses' confidence.

4)   "But I'm not eloquent," Moses then said to the Lord.

"I'm not quick-witted!" "I can't speak to a crowd!" "I'll get tongue-tied!" And for the many of us who don't naturally enjoy the stage/spotlight, this can and is a very real Fear!! Let's also not forget that it's historically believed that Moses had a stutter. So if this is true, I can totally understand his Fear, his lack of confidence, and his desire to politely decline the job!

Nevertheless, the Lord firmly corrects Moses: "Who gave man his mouth? ... Is it not I, the Lord? Now go; I will help you speak and will teach  you what to say."

But instead of going, Moses begged, "O Lord, please send someone else."

Even with everything the Lord had said and promised, Moses was still not persuaded. "I can't do this!" I don't want to do this!" "I won't do this!"

Then, and despite God's righteous (and understandable) anger against Moses, God was still merciful and gracious, and provided Moses what he needed -- an assistant, a partner, a co-chair to accomplish this task. This person was found in his brother, Aaron. 

Ecclesiastes backs up this reasoning by saying, "Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: if either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up" (Eccl. 4:9-10).

Personally, I think that God created us to need each other. Life is hard! But isn't it much easier when we have our family, our friends, and/or our loved ones holding our hand and helping us along the way? I certainly think so! In fact, in Galatians 6:2 we are called to carry each other's burdens, and thus fulfill the law of Christ (to love God and to love others).

Fear is a funny thing, though. This one unpleasant emotion (which Webster's defines as being caused by the belief that someone or something  is dangerous, likely to cause pain, or is a threat) can keep us disabled, paralyzed and stuck! And this is exactly where Moses was. But the familiar and supportive arrival of his loving brother gave Moses the push, the confidence, and the assurance that he could do what God had called him to do.

"And despite Moses' lack of faith - his sinful obsession with his own flaws and faults rather than trusting in the Lord's love, power, and greatness - the Lord redeemed him and used him in spite of himself to save the nation of Israel and bring them out of terror and tyranny and into freedom."  Joel C. Rosenberg

Over time Moses became such a man of great faith that he is listed as one of the "Heroes of Faith" in Hebrews chapter 11. His feeble faith increased by his spending time with God, worshipping God, listening to God, and learning (through all of his many challenges) that he could trust God with any and every thing.

In fact, Moses spent so much time with God that he changed physically. In Exodus 34:29 it says that, "When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the covenant law in his hands, he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the Lord."  He was RADIANT from being in the presence of God!

In the end, Moses became the antonym of Fear - he became brave, courageous... Heroic!
And you know what? So can we!

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified. What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?"  
Romans 8:28-31