The Battle Belongs to the Lord

Battles. We're called to "take up our armor and fight the good fight..."
but a very cool thing is that THE BATTLE belongs to the LORD! HA!

I love in 2nd Chronicles 20 where it says, "Do not be discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours but God's. You will not have to fight this battle. TAKE UP YOUR POSITIONS; STAND FIRM and see the deliverance the Lord will give you (O Judah and Jerusalem); do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to FACE THEM tomorrow, and the Lord will be with you."

TWICE the Lord said "don't be discouraged." Discouragement keeps us in the bed rather than on our knees.

TAKE UP YOUR POSITIONS-our position is one of confidence and though your body may tremble, your HEART can still be confident in the Lord.

STAND FIRM. You can stand firm even while weeping. There are days that I THANK GOD for the release and relief of stress filled tears. I have stood firm and praised His Name in the midst of my weeping. Standing firm isn't the stiff upper lip; it's the bended knee that helps us "stand" and stand strong in the Spirit.

DO NOT BE AFRAID. We're human. We become fearful; but the Holy Spirit whispers to OUR spirit in that "still small voice" that reverberates in our heart with His kindness and strength.

GO OUT AND FACE THEM. If you are a child of the Lion King, you have your Daddy's eyes. Stare into the enemy's face with all blessed assurance and even laughter because the Lord, your Father, LAUGHS at His enemies. So can you.

Your God is WITH you. Period.
Fight the good fight; the BATTLE belongs to the Lord. Amen.

Jeremiah 20:9

My friend Alicia had sent the following profound statement from The Knowledge of the Holy, by A.W. Tozer:  
"What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us."
Alicia then asked me, "What comes to your mind?"


My first knee jerk response was His KINDNESS and that He was my DELIVERER. But then I took it a step further and "got all hung up" on the word ABOUT. I thought it should have said TO-ie-'is the most important thing TO us' not 'the most important thing ABOUT us.'  So I told her I would have to think about that one and perhaps my answer would come either through a song I wrote or my art.


This latest piece you see today is what I believe to be my answer and I am blown away and delighted that I hear a "Yes and Amen" in my heart and spirit. I was not even thinking about Alicia's question while I was creating. As ALWAYS, the Spirit of the Lord surprised me and whispered, "This is what you're ABOUT."


If the most important thing ABOUT me is that His Word in my heart is like a burning fire shut up in my bones and that I cannot contain it, then glory BE to God. 

North, South, East, West

Raise your head and look North to find the Lord over ALL Whom you can thoroughly trust with everything that concerns you. Bow you head and look South to experience peace from the One Whom you have learned to trust. As you raise your head in peace, look about you and breathe in deep the calm and rest that have quietly entered from the East and West.

No matter where you look, He is THERE.

"Where can I go from Your Spirit?
Where can I flee from Your presence?"
Psalm 139:7

Walking With God

This one was tough to name because so MANY titles were shooting through my head! The main thing I wanted to convey was PROMISE amid those desert times hence the rainbow colored road representing the Lord's presence.

My dear friend Holly Smith told me that  the word "desert" in Hebrew means "place of the speaking."

If you are in the desert, dry place, wilderness etc. just know that you are NOT alone; God Himself is with you and walking WITH you. May your "dry place" be flooded with the Living Water speaking kindly to you. He is faithful, true, and near to those with a broken heart and crushed spirit. Walk on.

Praise

There is ALWAYS something to praise the Lord for...always. When I feel the "grumps" starting to mess with me, I make myself pause and start saying ALOUD what to praise the Lord for:
I can breathe, I'm not hooked up to a machine, I'm in my right mind, I live in America, I have a   roof over my head, clothes on my back and in my closet, food, a job, a car, family and friends that love me and above all, an awesome GOD who loves me as I am while encouraging me to come higher. I praise Him for His conviction, correction, counsel and loving kindness. I praise Him for loving me unconditionally even when I'm at my absolute worse. I praise Him for "staying on me" and IN me to keep me uncomfortable with boring status quo, and I praise Him for songs to sing and digital art to create that somehow expresses my deepest THANKS for Who He is...WORTHY OF ALL MY PRAISE.

Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord, O my soul! I will praise the Lord while I live; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being. Psalm 146: 1-2