He Shall be Called

Dec25

^“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” -Isaiah 9:6

Merry Christmas Everyone! Today is that Blessed day that we celebrate the wonderful coming of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ! Although we know He likely wasn’t born on this particular day in history, we can use this day to reflect on the amazing gift He gave us. Our God loved us so much that He was willing to humble Himself and become a man. A little baby was born over 2000 years ago for the purpose of becoming a sacrifice for our sins so that we might be reconciled to HIM! It brings tears to my eyes just thinking about it. It’s all in Him. Life and death is all in His hands and He paid it all for us!

He is not just a high and lofty deity somewhere out in the heavens. He is the child that was born, the Son that was given. He is Wonderful. He is Counselor. He is the mighty God. He is the everlasting Father. He is the Prince of Peace! It’s all in HIM!! This baby was called for this purpose!

What purpose are you called for today? Be assured that God has a purpose for your life! If you live for Him and walk with Him, your life will have purpose. That purpose will bring glory to God!

Thank you, Jesus for giving me this amazing life. Thank you for your love and care. Most of all, thank you for your sacrifice. Thank you for loving sinful man so much that you gave yourself so that we might live. We are so blessed and I am moved with appreciation!

Much love,

Rebekah L.

Praise Report!!! Hope Where there Seemed No Hope!

Dec14

Dear readers who have been following my journey- God may have provided a way of escape for me! Having just posted my post last night about Freedom and praising Him despite my fears and doubts and letting them fall away, I received an email this morning from one of my top choices today saying that they would still rank me despite my current situation!!! I have hope!!! Even better- it came AFTER my praise and worship!!! WOW! Wonderful God that He gave me the chance to show true trust and faith in Him! This journey isn’t over yet, but I have hope of truly becoming a doctor and working at a place that I enjoy!!! Wonderful, wonderful Savior, thank You for hope!!!

Rebekah M.

Song of the Day: Freedom Song by Mandisa

Dec13

As I drove home from church tonight I decided to switch CDs to what I named my “Brighter Day Mix.” In I popped it, hit “random,” and BAM it when to my favorite song- Freedom Song by Mandisa

As I sang for all I was worth along with the song and clapped during red lights, I remembered one of my favorite preachers talking about how the sound of hands clapping is like the sound of chains breaking. I let my fears and doubt fall off me as I busted out in song- sure my King would bring me victory if I just buried myself in Him.

Am I fully succeeding in this every day? No. But I can seek to make each new moment better than the previous one. I can seek to do what God wants for me each new moment versus letting the things I messed up with chain me from moving forward. Do I live with the consequences of the past, yes. But He is able and faithful to turn all things around if we just submit it all to Him and turn 100% away from those things that were bad and wrong.

So today- I seek to praise Him despite my doubt. I seek to worship Him despite the feeling of impending doom. I seek to worship Him despite the fact my world could potentially fall apart- for He is faithful. So I will put my hands up in the air and sing Hallelujah. I will proclaim that I have been set free! Praise to the Lord my chains of fear and doubt are gone when I just worship Him!!! Praise to the Lord, my chains are gone, can’t help but sing this freedom song!!!!

Rebekah M.

Prayer In the Midst of the Storm

Dec6

Lord,

I praise You that I have given You my dreams and they may be shattering, but I do not despair. There is still hope and You will work it all out. I love You Jesus that since my life is in Your hands, You are working out all things for good. I praise You my King for being everything I need. I worship You my Lord for there is none like You so who is to stand in my way of going about my Father’s business? I praise You Lord. I worship You.

Thank You Jesus for Your peace that passes all understanding,

Rebekah M.

He Qualifies the Called

Dec5

“For the spirit of God does not make us timid, but gives us power, love, and self-discipline.” ~ 2 Timothy 1:7

“But He said to me, ‘my grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness’. Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.” ~ 2 Corinthians 12:9

I have been feeling a sense of urgency lately to move for God, and to step into the purpose He has for me. I don’t have a super clear picture of what that purpose is, but I know I’m supposed to move towards it. The more I talk to people, the more I see that this sense of urgency is prevalent across the board. We’re in a time to solidify our steps, and match our walk a little closer with our Father’s.

Equally prevalent, though, is an accompanying sense of fear to go along with the push to move. We feel the urge to step out; then just as quickly, we talk ourselves out of it. We convince ourselves that we aren’t ready, that we don’t have the right skills for this, that we haven’t done all the prerequisites. So we wait to move, ‘until the time is right’ or ‘until we’re ready’.

I can’t and won’t presume to know when the time is right for anything. That’s in God’s hands. But I know what happened when Moses didn’t feel that he was capable of leading the people of Israel out of Egypt, and what happened was that God made him capable. Moses wasn’t a great speaker, but was called to speak. Because God called him to speak, God gave him the words to say and God gave him the fluency to deliver his speeches without a single stutter. God qualified him to meet his calling.

God qualifies all of us. Our own limitations don’t matter, because we don’t act on our own merit. It’s not by our skills, our talents, our achievements, and our strengths that we make things happen. It’s by God’s grace. And it’s in our weakness that we learn to be fully dependent on that grace and to accept it. So embrace your weakness, and step out anyway – God will provide everything you need. God qualifies us sufficiently to do the task He calls us to do. That sense of fear is merely a trick of the enemy, trying to thwart God’s plan. And we mustn’t give in to it. Because when it comes down to it, really all we have to do is show up. Go where God says to. Follow the path, and let God take care of what happens. It’s His calling for us, so it’s on Him to equip us. And He will. All we have to do is show up to let Him.

If any of you are struggling with stepping out in faith or in walking the next steps of your path, let me know at being.rebekah.a@gmail.com and I will pray for you.

God bless!

~Rebekah A

Boldly, Blindly

Nov30

This might quite possibly be the coolest thing I’ve ever seen ever. I mean ever. In the whole entire history of ever. Well, maybe not, but it’s definitely up there.

Ever see a flash mob? When one person starts randomly dancing in a public place, and then more people join in as the song goes on? Well this one was singing instead of dancing. And not just any singing – Christmas singing! And not just any Christmas singing; this one has full-blown rejoicing in Jesus Christ kind of singing! In a mall, of all places!

I’m from the politically correct northeast, so my first thought upon seeing this clip was “this is going to last about 10 seconds until mall security shows up and stops them.” When that didn’t happen, my other thought was “this is definitely not a mall in New England.” When I saw the reaction of all the mall-goers, I decided this was one of the coolest clips ever (in the history of ever).

See, we Christians are so veiled in politically correct behavior. We often don’t dress differently from anybody else (some do, but a vast majority don’t), so we aren’t really used to standing out. We are told that religion is a taboo conversation topic and we don’t talk about Jesus regularly for fear of being judged by the world. Sure, we witness….but publicly? Regularly? As in just showing up and starting to speak? Usually not. Usually when we witness it’s a small, calculated, controlled thing. Often it’s even a one-on-one thing.

These people defied that. They had no idea who was listening or what would happen. But they still stepped out of the politically correct zone in which we live, and celebrated the birth of their king by singing out to any and all who would listen. And were they shunned? Were they judged? Were they ridiculed? No. They weren’t. Instead, the passersby joined in (which is precisely what turned this clip into one of the coolest things ever in the history of ever). See what happens when we walk boldly in faith? God moves! I bet some of those people saw those carols, and the meaning behind them, in a whole new light. Some even went to their knees at the end!! The response of the crowd literally brought tears to my eyes.

Anyway, see for yourselves. And sing along! Don’t be shy!

God bless!

~Rebekah A

Satan on the Subway?

Nov13

Last I wrote, I told you all about what happened on the Access-a-Ride bus. Well, a mere 2 days later I was by myself waiting for a subway. There was one other man waiting on the platform with me – a totally normal and innocuous-looking guy. Still, he caught my eye. For reasons I couldn’t pinpoint, his presence felt threatening.

As I watched him, I realized he was talking to himself. At times more animated than others, but it was unceasing. It also was in a different language. He appeared Indian (Sikh), but it wasn’t Hindi or Punjabi he was speaking (at least, it didn’t sound like it to me). It was something else, something more tribal, and it was more of a chant.

Suddenly I felt moved to pray for this man, but I had no idea why or what to say. So I let God guide my mouth. I was astounded when what came out was “Jesus…protect me.” Why? I have no idea.

The man had been slowly drifting towards but wasn’t close enough to hear that prayer (I’d said it VERY quietly). But after the words left my mouth, his head snapped up and he looked directly at me. He started to come toward me, then stopped mid-stride, fixed me with a stare, and went a few steps in the other direction. When it came time to go on the subway, he got on the same car as me, but stayed on the other end of it. He stared at me the whole time he was in the car, his expression getting more and more hostile.

I’m positive he didn’t hear me. But one thing that was strange was I felt real fear from being near him. I don’t know quite what it was that made him so threatening but I was near-panic scared. This is weird, because I have walked through some less-than-idyllic NYC neighborhoods – often alone. I put my faith in God, pray as I go, and let Him use me while He protects me. I figure, I’m here for Him, He sent me, so He will work it out, provide, and protect me. He won’t forsake me so I have nothing to fear. And people are people, all equally loved by God. So the fear was very random and felt out of place. I am wondering if maybe the enemy put the fear in me so that I’d be mentally panicking and wouldn’t have the presence of mind to turn to Jesus in prayer. I’m really starting to think that’s what happened and that there were spirits or demons in that man who meant me harm.

But I’d LOVE to hear more thoughts on it. Has stuff like this ever happened to you? Comment or message me privately at being.rebekah.a@gmail.com. The whole was just very strange. Meanwhile, I’m just rejoicing that whatever was going on with that man, my Jesus was stronger and mighty to save and protect!

Thanks for the input, and God bless!

~Rebekah A

The Garment of Praise

Oct18

To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified. ~Isaiah 61:3

So I found out today that my Ex #1 got married this past weekend- just a few weeks after when we had originally planned to. Although I did not and do not want him back, I can’t help but feel slightly heavy in my spirit. Barely over a year ago I told him I loved him… a month after he had started telling me he loved me. I don’t give my love lightly and I don’t think anyone should, but nor should we cling to the past.

Even if I made no efforts to find out this information on my ex, I know God allowed me to be told to solidify that he chose his path and God has released me to a much better and brighter future.

I praise Him now, knowing He is good. I praise Him knowing He has saved me from pain and sorrow. I praise Him now that I wasn’t stuck in an abusive (emotionally and verbally) relationship.

Jesus,

Thank You for saving me. Thank You for Your goodness. I thank You that even if people may claim to love us but their actions show otherwise, Your love is pure and Your love is real. I love You Jesus with all my heart.

Rebekah M.

Suspect A Trap (When Sadness Creeps In Part 2)

Oct9

In continuing my current trend of adding to (mooching from?) the posts of my fellow blog writers (as opposed to sharing original thoughts), yesterday I read Rebekah L’s post When Sadness Creeps In. Then I proceeded to text her with my every opinion on the topic. Through her replies and our discussion, God revealed even more. This resulted in two things: 1) a serious need for a better text plan; and 2) a reason to rejoice in the Lord all over again.

As I was reading it, I relived my own struggle with depression, and how my ability to cope with it is directly tied in to my spiritual walk. I also realized that I know of two kinds of sadness in the Bible. The first is the sort one would feel after having a bad day or being hurt by somebody. The second is a more pervasive, weighty sorrow that I associate more with true depression. Yes, it existed. But one thing I’ve noticed is, depression in the Bible does not usually stand alone. Usually, depression goes hand in hand with a time of intercession.

The more I thought about it and went to God with it, the more it just started to make sense. Someone whose heart has been bruised and battered, who has felt pervasive sadness and pain and loss, can look at someone who’s lost and relate to them. Showing Jesus that person becomes less about talking at them about who Jesus is and what they should do to get closer to Him, and more just connecting with their heart. Someone who has been both enveloped by depression and enveloped by the peace of Jesus Christ can reach a lost person on such a deeper level. They can look at this lost person, see where they’re at, and join them there in love – because they know that place. They can also look ahead to where Jesus is; they can see the road that needs to be traveled and the light at the end of the tunnel. Someone in the midst of deep pain can’t necessarily see a way out of it. But someone who has been through it can. And that someone can bridge the gap on such a deeper level than somebody who doesn’t relate to the emotions being felt. That’s what deep intercessory prayer does – we stand in the gap for someone who needs a breakthrough of Jesus. And how much more heartfelt our prayers are when our compassion and love comes from a place of true understanding!

That is the way God would have us use our depression – as a way to draw closer to Him, more dependent on Him, and then ultimately, while He does protect us from our past He also uses it to make up the vessel we are. He is amazing that way – we may not be proud of where we’ve been, but He ensures that we didn’t go there for no reason, that our suffering wasn’t pointless. Thanks Jesus! This, in case you didn’t notice, is the reason to rejoice that I mentioned above. Having traveled the road we have and taken the hits we have, we can now be the exact vessel Jesus needs to use. Maybe someone whose vessel is shinier and less chipped isn’t right for this particular task. And Jesus knows that – He made each of us, after all. Our deepest, darkest moments turned out to be useful. Praise God!

This is why it’s really too bad that so many of us feel shame and guilt over our struggles. I believe this negativity is a lie from Satan himself. He reads our cues, multiplies our sorrow, and tries to turn it into a time of self-doubt and self-loathing. Often, he succeeds. Jesus would have this be a time to draw closer to Him, and instead we hide from Him. Jesus would have this be a time when we use our pain to relate to the pain of others so that we can love deeper and start to see with God’s heart. Satan would have this be a time to pity ourselves or get bogged down and chained by the weight.

So when sadness does come, please don’t hide. Besides, even if you do, Jesus still sees you. But He can’t help you unless you open your heart up to Him and let Him in. Transparency can be key here. When you feel ashamed by emotions, I implore you to suspect a trap. Find a friend you can confide in – yes, you open yourself up to judgement when you discuss yourself. But you also open yourself up to prayer and support, which gets you through it so much faster and grounds you again in your true identity as a servant of Christ.

My prayers are with you. If you’re struggling with something specific and want prayer for it, write to me at being.rebekah.a@gmail.com. God bless!

~Rebekah A

Song Of The Day – I Feel His Love by Laura Hackett

Sep22

Lately I’ve found it to be simultaneously comforting, amazing, and flat-out beautiful that Christ loves us as much as He does, in spite of who we are and what we do. No matter what we’ve been through or done. No matter what we’ve seen. No matter how much suffering is around us or inside of us, Jesus is stronger than any pain or problem, and He wants to love us through the fire. This song today serves as a reminder of that, and a reminder to give yourself a few moments’ break – lay the hardship at His feet and just feel His peaceful presence around you.

Jesus, I thank You that You are good, and that the depth of Your love is as strong as it is. I thank You for the hope You hold in Your love for me, and for being constantly there. I thank You for the mercy that is in Your presence, I thank You that Your presence surrounds me, and most of all I thank You for doing the work in my heart that allows me to notice.

God bless!

~Rebekah A