Time Spent With God (Author - Sandy Blackburn)

Worship in Spirit and in Truth (5/28/19)
by
Sandy Blackburn

“For God is Spirit, so those who worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth.” (John 4:24)

God is Spirit and the Father of spirits the Bible teaches us. In order to worship, commune, walk, and talk with Him, it only makes common sense that we must do so in spirit. We must shut out the natural, the worldly distractions, the self that constantly cries, “Me, me, me!”, and all other white noises from our adversary that would keep us from true fellowship with our God. Satan is a master counterfeiter and author of confusion and distractions. He’ll do all he can to confound us, distort the Word of God, and torment us in order to get back at our Father. Satan is also the master of deception, a liar, and a thief! He’s after our joy, our anointing, and especially our communion and fellowship with our Father God.

Adam and Eve walked, talked, and communed with God in the Garden of Eden. The devil divided and conquered that open relationship so that he might drive a wedge of doubt about the Father into the thoughts of Adam and Eve. He lured them away from that spirit of worship and truth they had enjoyed since Creation. He lied to them and they bought it lock, stock, and barrel thinking in the natural that they might become like God. The fellowship was demoted into the natural realm and that walking in spirit and truth became corrupted.

We, today, must be aware that we need to be walking in the spirit through Christ Jesus. Without that disciplined exercise of our walking with our indwelling Holy Spirit, we will not be able to block out the assaults that Satan directs toward us. He can only work in the natural. Again, God is Spirit. We must rise above what we feel and see in the natural to that realm where our Father God operates and resides. Of course, God is able to transcend the two realms for He came in the natural as a man named Jesus. He broke the realm barrier to present us with a blameless example of how we should live in order to be in relationship with the God of the Universe.

I was reminded of this yesterday when I lost my gold thumb ring that to me represented my marriage to the Son of God Who chose me at the beginning of the foundation of the world. He chose me as His beloved, His betrothed, His queen, His sister, His friend, His wife, His disciple, and His holy representative and apostle. He chose me! He chose you if you are a believer in the resurrected LORD Jesus. He reminded me this morning amidst the onslaught of hurt, pain, grief, remorse, and regret that though the golden ring in the natural is gone, my spiritual ring of betrothal is still there. Though I may not be able to see it in the natural, its there for all eternity.

I rise above the natural today and worship God in spirit and in truth. I know He’s still my Beloved, my Betrothed, my King, my Brother, my Friend, my Husband, my LORD, and my God. Nothing has changed in the spirit realm only this fleeting natural life that will one day vanish like a v***r. As my friend prays for me this morning, tongues are spoken by both of us, and the natural gives way to the spiritual. I had slipped into this world of fear and pain. God parts the natural and spiritual realms and leads me back to the Son. All eyes on Jesus! All tongues confessing the truth of His Word.

I fully expect that my golden band will show up at some time in the near future but I’m good either way. I know my Father loved me enough to send His Son to ransom me from this natural world filled with hurt, loss, and evil. He sent my Beloved to buy me back from the wages of sin and death. He rescued me from a natural disaster and set my feet upon that spiritual Promise Land flowing with milk and honey. My Firm Foundation has a Name above all names. He is that Rock I can count on when the natural is shaken to its foundations. His Name is Jesus…may I never, never take my eyes off Him again. Amen and amen.

This is the day the LORD has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it. Life is a battle while we are in the flesh. Walk in the Spirit and fight the good fight of faith which God's promises tell us are His, not ours. Never allow Satan to steal your joy for it is your strength. You are anointed and set apart for God's purposes. Never give up on God for He is faithful to finish the good work He began in you. Walk in Truth and Light today for His Name is Jesus. All eyes on Jesus!

Headed to Open Hands to deliver the message this coming Monday May 13th! Meal, Music, and Message begins at 6:00 at First Reformed Church on East Center St. Lexington. It's all FREE so come on out and meet some precious peeps!

He is RISEN!!!

A Faithful Bride (4/1/19)
by
Sandy Blackburn

“God is faithful, by Whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.” (1 Corinthians 1: 9)

“If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.” (2 Timothy 2: 13)

“Know therefore that the LORD your God is God, the faithful God Who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love Him and keep His commandments, to a thousand generations…” (Deuteronomy 7:9)

God’s Word promises that He will never leave us nor forsake us. His word is true! He sent forth His Word and it will not return void. It will accomplish what he purposed it to do. His Word is in us and Jesus is His Word manifested and made real. All these truths can be found in the Word of God. His Word is there that we might know beyond any doubt that He is for us and not against us. He loves us beyond our understanding and sent His Only Begotten Son Jesus that we might believe…God help our unbelief.

God’s plans for all mankind is that we might be saved through Christ Jesus and become His Bride for all eternity. Jesus is like our Heavenly Boaz that is recorded in the Book of Ruth. Boaz was a type and shadow of Jesus to come. Just as Boaz redeemed Ruth, the hated Moabitess, Jesus has redeemed us outcasts with His own Blood. He signed the Marriage Contract for those who believe at His death on Calvary. He paid a price higher than we could ever have mustered to buy our freedom from the wages of sin and death. God made a Way where there was no way.

The Church, we Believers, are the Bride of Christ. We are betrothed to the King! Betrothal is a serious covenant that is similar to the legal marriages we practice today. Remember Joseph was going to have to divorce pregnant Mary to whom he was betrothed. It was a legal and binding contract or covenant if you will. We tend to think biblical betrothal is like our engagements today which are only bound by a promise and maybe a solitaire diamond. Not so!

If we are a Believer, we are the Bride of Christ with accountability to our Groom Jesus. We are called to be a faithful bride of The Promise. No infidelities or hanky-panky as we call it today. We are to have our eyes firmly fixed on our Betrothed knowing that He’s gone to prepare a place for us in our Father’s House. Our Beloved said so before He left. We are to be in preparation for that glorious wedding to come when we will be reunited forever with our Love. We are to be trimming our wicks, and lighting our lamps with oil to spare as the five wise virgins from the parable of the ten virgins in Matthew. It warns us of what happens if we are found lacking, so be prepared!

In 2 Chronicles 11:2 God’s Word says, “Because they had been unfaithful to the LORD, Shishak king of Egypt attacked Jerusalem in the fifth year of the King Rehoboam.” Egypt captured the fortified cities of Judah and came as far as Jerusalem. The story here is about how Israel became unfaithful with unbelief and abandoned the law of the LORD. There are many historical accounts in the Old Testament of Israel falling away, being judged by God, repenting, then returning to the LORD. They are often referred to as a stiff-necked people as we are yet today.

God doesn’t reward unfaith, falling away, or unbelief, He judges it. We are asked merely to ‘believe’ and to be God’s people of faith. We are empowered to believe or God would never ask us to do it. We are created in our FAITHFUL GOD’s image and that tells me we are capable of being faithful servants of the Most High God. My perception is that there is no greater sin or offense in the nostrils of God than unbelief and unfaith. If God says it and promises it, why can’t we take Him at His Word and simply believe it, act on it, and walk it out? He is not a man that He should lie!

We have authority that has been given us to live this life as a faithful Bride of Christ until that Jewish Wedding Feast to come. God desires that we bold and shine our lights into the darkness of the world that He might be glorified. He desires that not one be left out in the darkness but all would come to His glorious Light through Jesus Christ. We are our Beloved’s arms and feet in this world today.

Our Maker Husband is counting on us to be His ambassador to those who are lost in the darkness and shadows of this world. We cannot be fearful, shy, or hesitant to be that faithful Bride that He’s coming back for one day. We are in Covenant with the King of kings and the LORD of lords! That’s serious stuff brothers and sisters! I desire to be that Proverbs 31 kind of wife to my Husband. How about you?

There is None Like You (3/30/19)
by
Sandy Blackburn

“The One who calls you is faithful, and He will do it.” (1 Thessalonians 5:24)

There is no God like our God! He is faithful. He is trustworthy. He is love! He loves us beyond our understanding of love for the Word of God tells us that we only know love because He first loved us. It’s hard to fathom a God Who loves us warts and all. No matter the sin, no matter the transgression, no matter the iniquity, He loves us because He knows us better than we know ourselves. He loves us without expectations; it’s called Agape Love.

God knows our potential. It’s us who drag our feet, stammer, and waylay His will for us. He created us for Himself and His kingdom. He created us with the potential of being all we might ever desire to be. It’s us who just can’t get it! It’s us who lack the faith and trust to be like the God in Whose image we were created. He is faithful! He is trustworthy! I’m certain the frustration of our procrastination must perturb our God in the midst of His Agape love for us. He knows! He knows the beginning and the end of us. He knows the outcome.

He’s God on the rainy days and God on the sunny days. He’s the same God on the mountaintops and the valleys. He never changes and He desires that we achieve that plateau of walking a path that leads not to mountains and valleys but to the path He put us on the day we were created in our mother’s wombs. He’s the Planner and we are the plan. I heard it said recently that God doesn’t have a plan for us but a path to follow. That may be true but it’s us that make that path more difficult than it has to be in our lives.

Total surrender to Him and His path will lead us into a peace that will surpass all our understanding. Total submission to Him will allow us to enter into His Rest written about in Hebrews Chapter 4. Total dying to self and living in Christ will put our feet on a firm foundation that will make the path of our life journey a stroll in the park instead of an uphill climb. Why can’t we get it through our thick skulls that Jesus came, died, and rose again to give us an abundant life? Abundant life is overflowing and lacking in nothing. God is supplying all our needs according to His riches and glory by Christ Jesus.

We MUST get over ourselves and allow God’s goodness, love, grace, and mercy to reign down into our days here and now. The kingdom of God is within us! The kingdom of God is here and now and for all eternity. We must die to ourselves, pick up our crosses and follow the One Who died to give us life. That cross just may be to crucify ourselves on each day. As we approach the holiest day of our Christian Calendars, be reminded of the true import of this life-changing Resurrection Day. We must die to self and be resurrected into that life and path that Jesus died to give us. It’s a done deal and our only contribution is to receive that which has already been done for us.

We are all called, chosen, and loved by the God Who is faithful and will do it…whatever it takes. He’s already made the Way where there was no way through the life, death, burial, and resurrection of His dear Son, Jesus. The Firstborn of a new breed of man that will live forever in that New Jerusalem to come has ransomed us from the wages of sin and death. Live today and celebrate the new birth, the new life, and the new path that was bought and paid for by our God Who is like no other. We praise You Father and surrender to Your plan and authority that was given to us. We take that staff of authority and live the life You died to give us for there is None Like You. Amen and amen.

Go Write—Right Now! (3/25/19)
by
Sandy Blackburn

Ephesians 3: 16-19 “I pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have 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.”

As I begin my morning prayers, I pray for the glory of the Holy Spirit to fall upon me. Fill me LORD Jesus with Your Spirit that will lead me into all wisdom and understanding. Fill me Father God with that Spirit of Your Holy Presence that will lead me into Your Throne Room and an audience with You the Creator of the Universe. Fill me LORD with You, for You are all I will ever need to live a life unto You. Fill me to overflowing with the fullness of God. I don’t have to know the why, the what, or the how of anything except the fullness of You that is found in being filled with Your Spirit…sweet Holy Spirit, come!

Just as there is power in the Name of Jesus, there is power beyond our understanding in the infilling and baptism of the Holy Spirit. Those who have the baptism of Holy Spirit have experienced the empowerment and know the joy immeasurable of not having to rely upon our frail human abilities. Only God can fill us to overflowing with His Presence. Only God might empty us of ourselves and allow this human life, which a gift from Him, to operate in the super natural realm of His heavenly purposes. This life is to glorify Himself and not really about all our mundane trials that we spend so much time praying and worrying about each day.

He is a supernatural God for He created the natural. He is the Creator of man and supersedes any lie from Satan that pridefully puts us, ourselves, and we above the Creator God. The created cannot be greater than the Creator. We are deluded and deceived if we think our lives are about us. Our lives are about God and how He might glorify Himself through our tribulations, trials, and circumstances. We simply are earthen vessels (clay) through which He might fill to overflowing with His sweet Holy Spirit to bless others and draw them unto Himself.

Our lives are to serve Kingdom purposes and Kingdom growth that was corrupted whenever Adam and Eve traded away their dominion to the great deceiver, Satan. God created Earth for man to rule and have dominion over the birds of the air, the fish of the sea, the cattle on the hill, and every creepy, crawly thing. God created man for relationship with Himself. God created hell for Satan and his cohorts, not man. God desires that not one (man) be lost. Every earthen vessel is part of the Kingdom of God and His original plan for the man He created. God will have His own way!

He made a Way named Jesus to regain every holy vessel or ground that was lost through deception. He gave us the Holy Spirit which will empower and enable us to fight this battle that isn’t even our battle. The battle is the LORD’s battle and it has already been won through the cross! Stop wasting time today on prayers concerning self, circumstance, and pitiful ole us! Fill those prayers that are a sweet fragrance in the nostrils of God with Kingdom prayers of VICTORY! We don’t have to know the why, the what, or the how. God knows! We simply must surrender this life to Him.

Our why or reason for life just may be to regain that which was lost in the Garden of Eden by man’s prideful weaknesses. The what may be Jesus Who was exactly what we needed to be redeemed from the wages of original sin and death. The how just may be the Holy Spirit Who will fill us to overflowing with Power from on High to accomplish that which God has ordained. I’m in no way saying I have the why, the way, or the how of life but I know Who does! Jesus is His Name. We don’t have to know…we simply must know Jesus the Son of the living God Who created us for His purpose in heaven. Know Jesus intimately, be filled to overflowing with His Holy Spirit, and praise the God of the Universe Who set it all in motion at the foundation of the world!

“Go write—right now!”, was my command this morning. I didn’t have to know the why, the what, or the how. My contribution was simple surrender and compliant obedience. He does all the rest of what needs to be done. The same command is for all of us each day. Begin the day in His Presence, be filled with His Holy Spirit, and walk hand in Hand with Jesus that chose each of us to be His own. Walk fully in the Spirit. Have faith and trust and leave all the rest to Him, Father God Who is worthy of all honor, glory, and praise. Now, shout, “Hallelujah and amen.” Get busy about our Father’s business and He will take care of our business.

Attach us and align us LORD with those around us who are Godly, in Your will, and BOLD for the Kingdom of God! In You ALL things are possible and through You NO THING is impossible. Close doors no man can open and open doors no man can close. You are a LIMITLESS GOD! Amen and amen...

Finally!!! Praise the LORD!!! Let ALL nature praise the LORD!!! Let everything that has breath PRAISE THE LORD!!!

Haughty

By

Sandy Blackburn

1 Corinthians 12: 31 "And yet I will show you the most excellent way."
and
1 Corinthians 13: 1- 7 "If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres."

As I begin to awaken this morning, God drops the word haughty into my spirit. I begin immediately to repent of the sin of haughtiness. God please forgive me of this sinful attribute of pride that has no right darkening the spirit of a child of God. A more excellent way is humility which I pray for daily and am still working on in my spiritual journey.

My thoughts retraced the steps of last night's blessing of attending a Women's Conference with friends that was the most fun I've had recently. The laughter and comradery was rampant and the joy had lightened my spirit of the load of assaults all week by the enemy. The joy of the LORD is our strength and last night's event had strengthened my inner being for sure.

Did I crack one too many jokes at the expense of anyone? Did I talk too much? Did I usurp anyone's joy of sharing their journey? What LORD, show me your intent for dropping this word into the foremost part of my mind first thing this morning. This scripture always has convicted me that I fall short of loving with my whole heart. I also pray daily for God to teach me to love like Jesus and to never let me be unteachable.

This picture awaited me as thoughts of repentence flooded my spirit and then the sun came up. I had to close the blinds to the blinding light of the morning sunshine which is a rarety these rainy days. Then the more excellent way went off like a light bulb in a cartoon caption. We cannot begin to think we might come before our righteous and holy God with our filthy rags unless we come by Way of Jesus. He is the more Excellent Way.

How haughty and prideful to think, say, or do anything outside of Jesus! He alone is worthy to come before the Father. It's in Him, by Him, for Him, and through Him we have any access to our Creator God. It's like me trying to sit with that bright sunlight glaring into my eyes to go before our God without the Blinds of Jesus to buffer the Brightness of Father God.

Our LORD Jesus the Christ alone is worthy of perfect love that is described in these scriptures. Our LORD Jesus the Christ alone is the humble servant that is able to come before our Father. Our LORD Jesus the Christ alone is the Teacher of love as it should be modeled and not one of us, not one is worthy or capable of such love.

As I repent today of haughtiness my advice would be for all of us to fall on our knees and repent. We suffer from the idol of self. Me, myself, and I go before God all too often with a needs list and a broken life that takes precidence over the Creator of the Universe. How haughty! Our lives are not about us and our brokenness and especially our abilities. Our lives are about this EXCELENT WAY called Jesus and how He will use our lives to glorify our Father God.

As Joyce Meyer advised us last night, we might begin by asking God what we might do for Him today instead of making that needs list of what He can do for us. Ask to find someone to serve or help today. Ask for the Teacher of love to spread abroad His more excellent way and love that fellow man that is so desperately seeking acceptance and love. God will honor these prayers for they are not about us and our haughty spirits. These petitions are about Him, His Son, and the Holy Spirit that empowers us to rise above ourselves to the Kingdom Way of doing things.

Repent child of God and open the blinds of our shortcomings to the more Excellent Way of Jesus and come into the Presence of God, righteous and holy as He is righteous and holy. Jesus is coming for that blameless bride that is not haughty but submissive and humbly awaits Him...come LORD Jesus come. Amen and amen.

A New Heart, A New Spirit, A New Song (3/9/19)
By
Sandy Blackburn

Ezekiel 36:26 “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.”

Psalm 40: 30 “He has given me a new song to sing, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see what He has done and be amazed. They will put their trust in the LORD.”

As I sip my last cup of coffee, the serenade outside my front window captivates me! The little warbler is singing a song that is so melodious, so sweet, so new to me that I can scarcely contain the joy it brings to my heart. My thoughts immediately tell me this is a song I’ve never heard before. I listen often to the chirps, tweets, and bird songs only to recognize they are mimicking their surroundings. I’ve heard cat calls, screaming neighbors, barking dogs, and children playing in their cacophony of serenades. Guess that’s how the Mocking Bird gets its name.

I remember very well on Building Teams the totally different sounds of birds in Panama and Dominican Republic. They had a Tropical repertoire of Parrots, Toucans, and the like. I don’t think we were still long enough in Israel for me to hear the birds except at the Mount of Beatitudes and there the sound was nothing short of heavenly choirs. Birds have different songs in different locations just as we do in different stages of our life journeys. My wild Rock N’ Roll songs from the Rolling Stone’s days have taken a limelight to K-Love and Tauren Wells, a gifted Christian Artist.

This birdsong today gives me joy, hope, and a light-hearted spirit to enter into my prayer time with God. I’m happy in the LORD. Despite the turmoil, uncertainty, and strife going on in my life right now, the joy of the LORD continues to be my strength and mainstay. He sustains me. He’s never left my side nor forsaken my feeble attempts to live my life in Him. He is my Provision where the need has been so great. He’s proven Himself over and over until my song has changed from “Why Me Lord?” to “Why Not Lord?”.

He’s given me a heart that is steadfast and hungry for His Presence and Word like never before. That heart of flesh prays daily not to be hardened and become a heart of stone. He’s given me a spirit that quickly steps back to allow Holy Spirit control of my life. Less of me and more of You has been deeply sown into that same spirit that knows intimacy with the One Who is Faithful. Praise for the God of my Creation is foremost in my prayer time for He is worthy! The song He has put into my spirit sings of the Kingdom.

It’s a new song where revelation comes daily and the scales are lifted from my eyes. The Kingdom here and now is my new song. The Kingdom that is awaiting its King is in need of preparation before that great day. I must not waste another day for time is short and there is much do before the King comes. I must subdue, I must sow seed, I must water seed, and mostly harvest seed for the Kingdom. The fields are ripe for that harvest and people are hungry for Jesus like never before. He desires that not one be lost that the Father has given Him.

The Kingdom of God is indeed near at hand as our Savior was so fond of saying during His short time here on earth. He came to prepare the soil and give us the seed bags, tools, and plows. We have dominion over this earth and were commanded to subdue it in Genesis. That’s a song worth singing once we realize whose voice is needed to make a change in things here on earth as it is in heaven. We must sing to the top of our lungs with hoes, shovel, and whatever gift it might take in our hands to make a difference.

We must put what is in our hands into His Hands and allow Him to multiply it. Shining our lights and salting this earth should be daily songs that we each hum under our breaths and sing daily. It’s a new song coming from our new spirits with our new heart authority given us by our LORD. As we remember His Passion, we must allow the tune to permeate our being and become a part of who we are in Christ. He did a New Thing and that was to give us a new heart, a new spirit, and a new song to sing.

We cannot miss out on what He’s prepared and commissioned us to do this day of the LORD. It’s not just a mission but a CO-mission with the Holy Spirit guiding our way. We were born for just such a time as this! The Kingdom of God is near at hand; indeed, it is within us His Word tells us. All authority was given Him in heaven and on earth and He gave it to us that we might sing to the top of our lungs that new song that will be heard throughout eternity…He is LORD! Sing it child of God…SING it!

Open Hands this coming Monday March 18th at First Reformed on East Center Street downtown...hope to see you there! Music, Meal and Message and all FREE and to the glory of God!

Ashes (3/5/19)
by
Sandy Blackburn

Isaiah 61: 1-3 “The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor and day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion—to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. This will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of His splendor.”

1 Kings 18: 38 “Then the fire of the LORD fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench.”

Yesterday as our accountability trio finished up our prayer time, my gaze ended up getting lost in the beautiful fireplace of gas logs that flickered in our midst. The lighted candle in front of me could not compare to the magnetic draw of the glowing embers. The beautiful parlor in the Church where my friend hosted us was more than conducive for our need of a safe harbor to share our hearts and practice an examining prayer time.

Immediately Holy Spirit brought to my mind the above scripture of how God will make beauty from ashes. I shared all that God was flooding my mind with at the time. Everyone feels solace and peace as we get lost in the flickering coals of a soothing fireplace. It’s calming. It’s consoling. It’s restful and it’s able to take us from distraction and chaos to a secret place where God might hold us close and quiet our spirits. Yes, there’s something about a fireplace or even an open fire that will steal us away from this world of trials and distraction. It will make us mindful of our God and His Sovereignty.

When Elijah built the altar to our God at Mount Carmel (1 Kings 18: 16-45) and defied all the gods of Baal, God consumed everything Elijah put on that altar surrounded by added water to make it more difficult. God disintegrated the offering and everything around it to ashes posthaste. Our God is an All-Consuming Fire the Bible teaches us. Elijah gave us a wonderful example of the power and ability of our God to consume any sacrifice, no matter the obstacles such as water, wood, stones, or soil completely without any effort. We simply must put our sacrifice on His altar and refrain from picking it back up, which I tend to do all too often.

God will accept whatever acceptable sacrifice we might lay on His altar and consume it leaving ashes that no longer will threaten or have power over our lives. Be it trials, tribulation, grief, loss, family, poverty, health issues, you name it—God will consume it leaving ashes and nothing left to burden or weigh us down. Those ashes He is more than able to turn into beauty, our mourning into joy, and our despair into praise according to this same Scripture.

Ecclesiastes lets us know from dust we came and to dust we will return—dust to dust and ashes to ashes. As we approach this Holy Season of Lent, some of us will go to an Ash Wednesday Service and be reminded of how frail a creation we are as compared to our Almighty Creator God. We will begin 40 days of inwardly searching ourselves with repentant hearts, examining our human condition, and realizing our need for a Savior. We will in a way become those ashes left on the altar of our loving God. He is faithful to redeem those heaps of ashes into a Royal Priesthood, a chosen people, and holy nation that He calls us to be.

So, as we come into the Season of Lent, may we sacrifice all that is keeping us from that High Call and anything that is standing in the way of allowing our God to turn our ashes into beauty for His Glory and His Kingdom. Gaze full into His beautiful Face knowing that no matter the difficulty, the shame, the guilt, the bigness of our sin, our God is ABLE to consume it all for His Grace is bigger than all our need. He’ll lick up even the water in the trenches as this Scripture from 1 Kings describes. That is a Mighty God and Worthy of ALL our praise!