Happy Friday, friends! And it's a warm one at that! Everyone is ready to feel spring weather and enjoy the outdoors.
To my Jacksonville, NC friends--we are saddened by a family facing tragedy of a housefire and 3 children perishing in the fire. Other family members are being treated at 3 different hospitals. Sounds like this is a God-loving family and lots and lots of folks are praying for them.
Sometimes big, bad things that happen to folks in our communities that cause folks to rally around the victims and give support and whatever they need. It's during events such as this that ministries are born. A person might discover that they are good at planning a fund-raiser for such a time. I have a friend in Murfreesboro, TN who collects furniture and clothing to help burned out families because she has had several co-workers who had that same need. Now she finds great pleasure in helping folks in bad situations.
People who are fortunate enough to discover a passion suddenly finds themselves with a purpose in life. It is a very good and satisfying feeling. It's what God intends for our lives. But we may have to clear out some inappropriate passions that lead to wrong purposes. A passion is any emotion--hate, love, or fear. It is an intense emotional excitement such as rage, enthusiasm or lust. It is also the sufferings of Jesus, beginning after the Last Supper and continuing to His death on the Cross. You can see that hate and fear, rage and lust are not the plans and designs God would have you operating under. You probably didn't know that your anger issues, hate, overwhelming fears and lust are causing you to be a not-so-confident person.
There have been 3 different people in the news that have followed their passions and had different outcomes. February is African-American month. Fox & Friends have shared good stories of folks who have succeeded in life. The story was told yesterday of a 79 year old african-american lady who had a great attitude about life. Her father died before she was 2 years old so she and her sister were raised by a single mother. Her mother taught her that life can be unfair and not always smooth. She learned that lesson early in life from her mother and it shaped how she dealt with the bad things that came up. She was diagnosed with breast cancer in her twenties. She was treated and healed but had to have partial mastectomies. In her sixties she was diagnosed with lung cancer. She now has lower percentage of lung capacity as surgeons removed a lobe from her lung. But did that stop her from enjoying life? She was determined to travel somewhere that no african-american woman had been to. So a few years ago she learned how to fundraise and recieved moneys enabling her to go and enjoy the North Pole. Since then she has step foot on the South Pole. And she has another trip planned that no african-american woman has accomplished but we will have to wait until next year to hear about that trip. Don't forget that she is 79 years young.
A second person is Whitney Houston. Everyone has heard that she passed away probably from a bad combination of prescriptive meds and alcohol. She started out singing for our great God in church. Then she got side-tracted and the drugs seem to have control over the rest of her life. Drugs were her passion and became her purpose. It's interesting that her mother wrote her a letter for the day of the funeral. Cissy Houston tells a post-life Whitney that the day she was born the Holy Spirit told her that she would not have Whitney for a long time. The Holy Spirit knew what Whitney would have passion for.
A third person is the 34 year old pastor (husband and father) who is in prison and scheduled for execution in Iran because of his faith (and refusing to give it up) in Jesus Christ. Holy Dad, we ask you to give comfort to this awesome man of yours and strength to his wife and children. Please put your arms around them and tell them that everything is going to be ok. Father, I know you have a reason for allowing this bad thing to happen. Perhaps it is to shock us americans to a reality that our brothers and sisters in other countries would love it if they could worship you freely just as we do. The amazing thing is they worship You regardless of their life expectancy. I am afraid we take our freedoms for granted and do not elevate You high enough because we are not challenged. Thank You Lord for whatever it is that You do for this Iranian pastor and His family!
1Peter 4: 1-2 (MSG) says this: "Since Jesus went through everything you're going through and more, learn to think like Him. Think of your sufferings as a weaning from that old sinful habit of always expecting to get your own way. Then you'll be able to live out your days free to pursue what God wants instead of being tyrannized by what you want." We are a spoiled country. We are spoiled Christians. The beginning of our country was for Godly and noble purposes. But my have we traveled so far from it that we no longer are connected with the reason for the pilgrims to cross the Atlantic and suffer diseases and death and barren land that had to be fashioned into liveable habitats.
A friend of mine (from Lascassas, TN) sent me a verse for the day. It is a good one. James 1:17 (NCV): "Every good action and every perfect gift is from God. These good gifts come down from the Creator of the sun, moon, and stars, who does not change like their shifting shadows." What this is telling us is that whatever comes our way in life, whatever Holy Dad allows to happen to us, is a gift. Holy Dad gifts us with passions and purposes so we can do the things He has planned out for us. Friend, He gifts us with life made new through His Holy Word. Verse 18: "God decided to give us life through the word of truth so we might be the most important of all the things He made." Wow. He wants to shape us and give us great lives because we are the most important things He made--but friend, allow Him to remake you into something great by following what He says to do in His word.
What events in your life has had a negative impact that can be turned around (with Holy Dad's help) to serve His purposes? If you have had the great pleasure of discovering your passion and purpose--I challenge you to step it up to the next level. What bad thing has control over you that keeps you from having a conscious life? Holy Dad can help with this! Beth Moore's blog contains segments that her sister, Gay, has written about her hopeless alcoholic years and the rescuing by Holy Dad who heard her cries for help. It is inspiring even in a helpless 35 or so year span. Can you guess Gay's new purpose and passion? Yep. Helping other ladies in need of help in their hopelessness. It's a good read if you are inclined to google it. Just google Beth Moore and you'll see it.
And of course I have a 21 Day Journal Note that fits well with this topic.
21 Day Journal Note # 29
Really Bad Decisions
Lord Jesus, I am painfully admitting to You today that in the past I have committed really, really bad sins. Lord I know that abortions, sexual promiscuity, fantasies, cheating, lying, gossiping, meddling into others business, stealing, physical abuse to others, abandonment, harshness, bullying others and myself, etc, are all terribly wrong. The things I am guilty of are weighing heavy on my mind and have for a very, very long time. It consumes me and controls me. I am ready to give it up and give it to You. I am reading Psalm 32:1 (NLT) "Oh, what joy for those whose rebellion is forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight!: Please Jesus, help me to forgive myself! I have read in Matthew 12:32 (MSG): "If you reject the Son of Man out of some misunderstanding, the Holy Spirit can forgive you, but when you reject the Holy Spirit, you're sawing off the branch on which you're sitting, severing by your own perversity all connection with the One who forgives." As long as I accept and not reject You, Holy Spirit, I am ok! My Lord, please help me to forgive myself and others who may have contributed to the state I found myself in at the time of my sins. My Lord, heal my wounded heart from this grief. Thank You immensely.
end of journal note. Friend, hand write this 21 day journal note once a day for 21 days to give your life new passion and purpose.
Now really start living!
Jesus' healing and peace to all, Wynndy
