An Adventurous Life

RECOVER

Mary Magdalene was recovered by Jesus. He came, he saw, he knew her real name and who she was. He recovered her from her broken past, demonic hold and set her free to be who she was meant to be.

Joseph had a dream, was sold as a slave, put in prison, finally let out to serve in a high position. His dream was restored.

David annointed as King, chased by Saul, hidden away until the appointed time. Annointing recovered, he became King.

Abraham was promised a son, then had a son born not of promise, yet God came reaffirmed the promise, the promised son was born. Recovered promise

Many dreams and desires have I had and yet, unfulfilled, I tried to make them happen. Reading and thinking of this word and the stories of God recovering dreams and promises in the Word has made me rethink. Is it possible the dream I had can be recovered, even though I failed, made mistakes along the way. I believe yes, they can be, for I serve the God of Abraham, David, Joseph, and Mary. Nothing is impossible for God to recover.

Time, it takes time and through the time we wait for the recovery of our hearts, minds, souls, dreams and desires, God is at work in and through us to bring us to the exact place needed, for what He has spoken to be completed in our lives.

So while I wait, I study, I pray, I work, I watch and I see the new thing he is doing.

POSSIBLE

Five minute write with Kate Motoung.

POSSIBLE

Are all things possible? Through Christ all things are possible, at least the things he wills. In our lives that should be our hope and our desire, that what God wills, the plans He has for us are possible. I have been rereading the story of Joseph, being in a situation where I feel stuck and struggle with my emotions, I was captured by the words, “The Lord was with Joseph giving him Success in everything he did” (Genesis 39:3). Many times through his story these words are written, “The Lord was with Joseph, and caused him to succeed.”

So often we think, if I work hard enough, if I study hard enough, if I, I, I…

We make it about us yet here in Joseph’s story we see that the LORD caused Joseph to succeed. Was Joseph trained in what Potiphar had him do? No, he arrived as the favored son of Israel, sold into slavery. He was a slave to Potiphar, so Joseph did what he was told, he did all that Potiphar told him to. Potiphar saw that the Lord was with him, it was the Lord who made Joseph favored, and it was the Lord who caused him to succeed. It had nothing to do with Joseph, it had everything to do with the Lord’s plans. Joseph had to let go of the dreams he had and follow the Lord into the hard places of refinement. His success was possible through the Lord but in no other way, because in the end it is only when the Lord chooses one to be successful that one will succeed. We need to be open to following the Lord’s will and plan for our lives, even into the hard places where the mountains stay, the pain continues, the poverty never ends, because in the end only in Christ is anything of value possible.

So through this rereading slowly through the life of Joseph, I must ask myself, am I willing to risk and do what I believe God is asking me to, believing he will cause me success because it is through him that I can do it. Do I believe that all things are possible through him, even this thing that seems too big and impossible?

POSSIBLE, all things are possible, through Christ who strengthens me.

Enable

There are different definitions of the word enable.

In Psychology it means to allow or make it possible for someone to behave in a way that damages them. This most often is used with addictive behaviors of a a person, the family and friends can be trying to help yet in the end only enabling the other to continue in their addiction and sometimes even abuse.

The oxford dictionary defines enable as to give another the authority or means to do something.

Words can mean different things to different people depending on the perspective and the way the word is used. This can at times make communication challenging, so for the purpose of this blog I will be using the Oxford definition of enable.

I believe God enables me, he gives me the authority and means to do the work I do. He empowers me to overcome my own selfish, prideful ways to walk humbly with him. He qualifies me to speak into other peoples lives the truth when appropriate. Enabling grace that is what God gives and offers to each of us. The ability to change and become just like His Son, Yeshua. He enables me to love.

God enabled Joseph to be next to Pharoah in ruling ancient Egypt. God enabled Moses to lead the people of Israel out of bondage to a land of freedom. God enabled the Prophets to speak his word to his people. God enabled Mary to give birth to Yeshua. God enabled John the Baptist to be the forerunner of the Messiah. God enabled Yeshua to be that Messiah, to live without his former status, to die a criminals death on the cross, in order to become the way of salvation for many.

God loves to enable his people for great things, lets live enabled by Him to love all people and take care of one another.

5 minute write with Kate Motaung

FIX

5 minute Friday write

As a compassionate person I often want to fix things that are wrong in the world.

To fix the school system, to fix the child welfare system, to fix them so children will no longer be hurt, abused or left behind.

However, scriptures tell me to fix my eyes on Jesus for only in Him can anything in our world be fixed.

My desire is to love, protect, nurture and lead these lost ones to the source of healing, Jesus.

The vision I once had has faded but as I fix my eyes on Jesus, He will renew my vision to join with His vision and in His time it will be completed.

Proverbs 31:8-9 Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, ensure justice for those being crushed. Yes, speak up the poor and helpless, and see that they get justice.

He is a Father to the fatherless

God places the lonely in families

Psalm 68:5,6

Now God has given a new way, a vision joined with others for young girls escaping trafficking.

Many of their stories are of abuse and abandonment.

Young girls needing hope, healing and restoration; in need of a home where the work of healing can take place in a safe place where they do not have to worry about meeting their own needs but are able to work on becoming who God created them to be.

FRESH

Five minute write

Many times in my life I wanted a fresh start. After failing in my walk with God, relationships ending, losing loved ones; I would look for a fresh start thinking it will be better, I have changed I can make it work this time. Often this fresh start would require moving because to stay where I was, I didn’t know how to, not after all of the pain I had experienced. So, I would pray and seek, looking for the opportunity to move to a new place, to start over. This happened because I did not understand what I was doing wrong or how to change, for the fresh start to really be different.

Recently I moved again, but this time there was a plan. I knew that I was moving towards something that God wanted for me, that he had planned many years ago, but he needed to change me on the inside before I would be ready to receive what he had. To me it looked like a long detour but to God it looked like preparation.

So here I am in a time and place of refreshment. A place ordained by God to grow me and bring me to a place of maturity through healing and belonging. The plan has not yet all rolled out and come to pass but I am on the path moving towards its fulfillment. The first step is to allow Him to heal the anger that is deep in me, the anger that is destructive, to teach me and help me become an agent of healing for others. I pray that through my life here in this new place, as I walk and work towards healing of anger in my heart, that God will be glorified and many others will be impacted.

Time

5-minute write with Kate Motaung

“What time is it Mr. Wolf?” I remember playing that game outside and the thrill of beating the wolf by getting back to the safe zone before getting tagged. Of course, it was also fun being the wolf and catching the “prey”.

Many people are asking, “What time is it Lord? Will you be coming soon?”

Well the answer is yes, he will, but what does that word ‘soon’ really mean. I mean people have been waiting and saying he is returning on the clouds soon, but its been 2000 plus years.

I decided to look that word up in Greek and find out how the translators were using it, what did it mean in the original.

I found an article on RevelationLogic (revelationlogic.com) and the Greek word used in Revelations and other places in the Bible is ‘tachei’ which is defined as quickness, speed; hastily, immediately (Strong’s #5034). Now in English soon means within a specified time frame but when soon is used in the Bible, referring to God’s time, it indicates the speed at which the event will approach.

Revelations 1:1 (NLT) “This is a revelation from Jesus Christ which God gave him to show his servants the events that must soon take place.”

Revelations 22:20 (NLT) “Yes I am coming soon.”

The use of the word soon has caused many to be discouraged and question these words because Jesus has not returned on the clouds yet.

Learning the meaning of soon, that it does not have to do with human time-frames, but has to do with how quickly events will happen helps to understand “time” in God’s Kingdom.

The ‘time is near’ refers to the appropriate time for events to happen, once again not time frame as we might think of it. So a better question is: Is it the appropriate time for Christ to descend on the clouds? If one looks at the events of the world from Christ’s time on earth to now we still cannot say “Yes, definitely” because have all the events occurred as he said they would?

We will never know the exact time frame nor time he will come, only the Father will know and it will happen in the twinkling of an eye. So, let’s know the times and seasons but not try to set dates or minutes, for that is impossible.

Maatthew 24:36 NLT “However, no one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself. Only the Father knows.”

CONCLUDE

5 minute write with Kate Motaung

To conclude, to end

I would like to conclude my story with love, joy and peace.

My story: a story of a journey, spiritual birth, with ups and downs and battles all around, but in the end, concluded with love, joy and peace.

I would like the pain to end, a conclusion to my aches and body troubles.

I would like to know when the Lord will conclude this chapter of my story.

I hear His Whisper, He will heal me, but first he wants to heal me on the inside.

To remove the anger, fill me with grace, and peace. He wants me to stop striving to be healed and filled but to rest in Him.

Be still and Know that He is God is to become weak and know God in my circumstances as God, the God who Heals and Provides.

Be Still-stop striving. conclude fighting, Let me be God in this.

Let go of all anger, bitterness and wrath; Forgive Me, Forgive yourself, root out the anger, shut the door to sin, be finished with Man’s Anger.

See the Lord, He is bigger than your circumstances; He is here with you , ready to heal when you are still, it will conclude.

Be still and know God in that all will be finished.

Isaiah 12 In that day you will sing, “I will praise you, Lord! You were angry with me, but not anymore. Now you comfort me. See the Lord has come to save me. I will trust in Him and will not be afaid. The Lord is my strength and my song. He has given me the Victory.”

With joy you will drink deeply from the fountain of salvation. In that wonderful day you will sing, “Thank the Lord! Praise His name! Tell the nations what He has done. Let them know how mighty He is! Sing to the Lord for He has done wonderful things. Make known His Praise around the world. Let all the people of Jerusalem shout His Praise with Joy. For great is the Holy One of Israel that lives among you.”

Faith Without Works is Dead

James 2 ¹⁴What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone? ¹⁵Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, ¹⁶and you say, “Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well”—but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do? ¹⁷So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless. ¹⁸Now someone may argue, “Some people have faith; others have good deeds.” But I say, “How can you show me your faith if you don’t have good deeds? I will show you my faith by my good deeds.” ¹⁹You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God.^[f] Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror. ²⁰How foolish! Can’t you see that faith without good deeds is useless? ²¹Don’t you remember that our ancestor Abraham was shown to be right with God by his actions when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? ²²You see, his faith and his actions worked together. His actions made his faith complete. ²³And so it happened just as the Scriptures say: “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.”^[g] He was even called the friend of God.^[h] ²⁴So you see, we are shown to be right with God by what we do, not by faith alone. ²⁵Rahab the prostitute is another example. She was shown to be right with God by her actions when she hid those messengers and sent them safely away by a different road. ²⁶Just as the body is dead without breath,^[i] so also faith is dead without good works.

What does James mean that faith is dead without works?
Looking at the first few verses we see that if we refuse to meet a brother or sisters need but say we have faith, then our faith is dead. Dead faith is no faith.

Yes, we are saved by faith, simply by believing in Jesus and recieving his forgiveness but if we do not do the works of faith then our faith is essentially dead. How many times have I listened to a need yet, thinking only of self, said I will pray for you and never met their need? How many times have I expressed a need and yet the church has turned it's back and said I will pray for you, yet did not meet my need. As you can see in the verse it is talking about a real physical need of food and clothing.

How many people do we know who have that need yet we refuse, when we hear about it to walk in faith believing if we meet their need God will meet ours, we turn our backs and say "I will pray for you" then go home to a full dinner and not even think once of that person.

How many single parents are in your midst, a mother or father struggling to feed, house and care for their children's needs without one single person helping them. Yet we often sit in our safe beautiful, well stocked homes and forget about them. Now I have been on both sides of the fence with plenty and without plenty, but even without plenty is it not still my responsibility to show my faith by my works, by meeting others needs.
Jesus said to seek ye first the Kingdom of Heaven and all these things will be added unto you. Is not the Kingdom of Heaven taking care of the poor, the widow and the orphan.
Did He not tell a parable of a wedding feast where the invited did not come so sevants were sent out to bring in the blind, poor those along the highways and bi ways to fill his table for the wedding feast. How much greater is that wedding feast than our christmas feast yet do we share with those in need?

I know as holidays approach, many will be rushing around to purchase wants for others but how many are going to meet needs of those who have nothing. How many will invite the homeless and fill their tables with the less fortunate over the holidays? I am challenging myself to actually go out and fill anothers need rather than sitting and looking at my own circumstances and then to trust the God who loves me to meet my needs.

BEYOND

5 minute write with Kate Motaung

Sunrise Sunset

Beyond today,

Tomorrow is waiting with new surprises.

Some good, Some bad,

We do not know.

As the years fly by,

We wonder,

What is beyond today?

Only one knows.

He holds the beyonds in His Mighty Hands.

So no matter what tomorrow brings,

Trust in Jesus, Know He holds all it all together,

To complete His Great Plan.

Grateful

5 Minute write with Kate Motaung at

Grateful

Grateful: full of appreciation and thankfulness

Though life is not easy and there are many trials, look around and see God’s blessings. The blessing of a job, a place to sleep, food is still available and we are free to enjoy fellowship and togetherness with those we love. We still are able to enjoy the outdoors, and smile.

Most of all God himself gave his Son so we could be healed and have new life. For this I am Grateful. God himself chose me, God himself called me, God himself died for me and comes close to me. God himself speaks to me, God himself walks with me, God himself will come for me on that great and glorious day when Jesus comes again.

Yes Jesus promised, he does not lie, so I know it is true. He will come one day for me. He is preparing a place for all who believe and receive him. He is love and peace and joy. He is home. I long for that day with every breathe, to see Him face to face. How glorious it will be.

Truly, Truly I will be forever grateful He came for me.

Sunrise over the Himalayas