Faith

Hunger Unto Death

February 22, 2018 By Eva Conner Leave a Comment

Hunger unto death!

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good!
His faithful love endures forever.
Has the Lord redeemed you? Then speak out!
Tell others he has redeemed you from your enemies.

Psalm 107:1-2

Laying in bed, I was prompted to grab my phone and read Scripture on my Bible app. I went to Psalm 107 and it brought me up out of bed in tears – good tears.

If we have Jesus in our hearts, we are redeemed.

We need to speak out and tell others! What He has done for me, He will do for everyone.

I recently heard a story that won’t leave me. There was an old preacher who was steadfast as a rock. He was unmovable in his faith and love for the Lord. A younger man was talking to this preacher one day and asking how to get faith like his. This younger man looked upon the old preacher in awe and wonder and wanted what he had. The preacher looked at the younger man and suddenly grabbed him and pushed his head under water as they were sitting beside a stream. The old preacher held the young man’s head under water for a very long time until the bubbles were becoming sparse. And just at the last minute, the old preacher pulled the young man out of the water. The old preacher asked the young man what he thought about while he was under water. The young man said he could think of nothing more than his need for air. The old preacher looked the young man straight in the eyes and told him “when you think about your need for Jesus as you do your need for air, you’ll have unshakeable faith.”

I don’t know about you but I want that unshakeable faith. Faith that can move mountains and cast them into the sea. How do we get faith? The Bible tells us that faith comes by hearing the Word (Romans 10:17). As we dig deeper into the Word, our faith grows.

Reading on in Psalm 107 (and I encourage all of you to open your Bibles right now and read this entire Psalm – try it and see if your faith doesn’t grow), we see that no matter the circumstances we create in our lives, God redeems us.

Some wandered in the wilderness, lost and homeless. Hungry and thirsty, they nearly died. “Lord, help!” they cried in their trouble, and he rescued them from their distress.

Psalm 107:4-6

He is our Rescuer and our Redeemer – NO MATTER WHAT. Period.

He led them straight to safety, to a city where they could live. Let them praise the LORD for his great love and for the wonderful things he has done for them.

Psalm 107:7-8

He leads us to safety and provides us with great love and does wonderful things for us. Not just love and things but GREAT LOVE and WONDERFUL THINGS. This is so important to get in our hearts.

God is good. Good is who He is.

It’s not an attribute or a character trait. It is the very essence of who God is. He is GOOD. Is it a coincidence that God and Good are only one “O” apart? Probably not:)

Start looking for HIS GOOD today. I promise you that HIS GOOD is all around you if you will only start looking. We each make decisions that dictate how we live our lives. We choose to listen to the voices in the world. Doom, gloom, disaster, violence, failures, death, destruction, loss, fear.

OR we choose to listen to THE VOICE of GOD. Love, light, joy, peace, grace, mercy, long life, abundance, redemption, protection, wholeness, victory, freedom.

It’s a choice we make every minute of every day. We either train ourselves to take our thoughts captive and make them obedient to the Word of God (2 Corinthians 10:5) or we continue down the path that will lead only to destruction and sadness by letting our thoughts control us. Let me repeat this – IT IS A CHOICE.

You and I are in control of the life we live.

Today I choose to listen to THE VOICE of GOD. Tomorrow I’ll choose again to listen to THE VOICE of GOD. What will you choose? I pray you choose THE VOICE.

Let’s choose to feed the hunger that is deep within us for more and more Jesus. In the world, when we are hungry, we eat and get full. But in God’s world, when we are hungry, we eat and get even more hungry!!! Hallelujah! Do you see the beauty in His ways? We eat from the Word and we get hungry for even more. It fuels the fire to study and meditate upon the Word for a lifetime.

But we have to take that first step to start reading the Word to get the hunger going. We will not be hungry until we start eating. Only when we start eating do we get hungrier and hungrier for more and more.

The voice said to me, “Son of man, eat what I am giving you—eat this scroll! Then go and give its message to the people of Israel.” So I opened my mouth, and he fed me the scroll. “Fill your stomach with this,” he said. And when I ate it, it tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth.

Ezekiel 3:1-3

The LORD told Ezekiel to eat the Word. He told him to fill his stomach with it and to get it in his heart (see v. 10). Friends, this is exactly what we need to do to live a life of abundance and plenty in all areas.

Start eating the Word today.

Reading on in Psalm 107, we see the results of eating the Word:

He removes the darkness (v. 14).
He removes our chains (v. 14).
He breaks down prison walls (v. 16).
He speaks and brings healing by HIS WORD (v. 20).
He brings stillness in the storms (v. 29).
He gives great love (v. 31).
He does wonderful things for us (v. 31).
He turns deserts into pools of water (v. 35).
He turns dry land into springs of water (v. 35).
He feeds the hungry (v. 36).
He builds cities (v. 36).
He brings bumper crops (v. 37).
He blesses us with large familes and increased livestock (v. 38).
He scatters our enemies in the wasteland (v. 40).
He rescues the poor and brings them increase (v. 41).
He opens our eyes to see HIS GOOD (v. 42).
He shows us His faithful love (v. 43).

Hunger until death!

Stay in the Light and Love always,

Eva

Are You in an Impossible Prison?

January 26, 2018 By Eva Conner Leave a Comment

You are being released from prison TODAY.

God asked me to write down the very first word in the Bible? IN

He then asked me to write down the very last word? AMEN

I questioned God and asked what this means. Which prompted the third question.

What is in between these two words? CHRIST JESUS

IN CHRIST JESUS, AMEN!

Do you believe the Word of God?

Do you believe God created everything out of nothing?

Do you believe that Noah built an ark and had two of all animals aboard ~ for a very long time?

Do you believe Jonah was in the belly of a whale for 3 days?

Do you believe Daniel was actually in a den with real lions?

Do you believe the fire that did not singe so much as a hair on Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego?

Do you believe in Jesus?

Do you believe Jesus?

Do You Believe?

That’s all that is required of us. I love these words that our Lord Jesus said in the gospel of John:

Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?”

Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.”

John 6:28-29

This is our assignment: to believe.

Understand this very important truth – we must believe in Jesus and we must believe Jesus. Do you understand the difference? Not only do we need to believe in who Jesus Christ is but we also need to believe every word He speaks. Jesus is The Word (John 1:14) and each word written in the Bible is truth. Each word is solid and each word becomes our foundation.

All things are encompassed in the Word ~ beginning with “IN” and ending with “AMEN” with Christ Jesus in the between.

You see, when we believe the Word and when we believe IN the Word, we allow it to become the measuring stick we use for all matters in life which keeps us steadfast and sure. The storms of life will come our way and when they do, we’ll be prepared.

Do you question how you can have faith enough to believe even during the darkest storm of your life?

I know we all have gone through times of darkness. Maybe you’re in the darkest time of your life right now with no hope. And maybe you’re asking how are these words going to release you from your prison?

Let me share what I’ve learned through my own journey. I was in a prison of my own making for most of my life. The words written on my prison walls may have changed from time-to-time but the door never opened. Insecurity, rejection, unworthiness, hate, anger, lack, unforgiveness, jealousy. What was within my heart ruled my circumstances. It ruled all of my relationships. I was unable to have one good, stable area in my life.

My prison door was locked up tight and my life was taking a downward turn that I could not stop.

I had no hope of ever getting released into pure freedom. Until I met Jesus.

It wasn’t until I met my Savior that things started to change. Was it an instant release from that prison? Jesus opened the door to my prison cell immediately but I did not have the power or the courage to step outside those prison walls. It was all I knew. Stepping out into a new life was stepping into the unknown. It was scary. So I stayed in my prison a little while longer.

But He didn’t leave me there alone.

He stayed with me. During this time, I had to allow Him access to ALL of the pain buried in my heart. All those words printed on my prison cell walls had to be erased one by one. I had to allow God FULL ACCESS before I could move beyond those prison walls.

Maybe you are doubting His goodness if He isn’t answering your prayers.

Maybe you are doubting that you can ever get out of your prison.

Maybe, just maybe, you are even doubting His existence.

If this is you, friend, I encourage you to open your Bible and begin reading. Tell God how you are feeling. Pour out all of your doubts and unbelief. All your despair, hurt and anger. You cannot give Him anything that He cannot handle. HE IS BIGGER THAN YOU. And He knows exactly what you need right now. Ask Him to guide You to the right place to begin reading and ask Him to bring His Word to life for you.

Remember the beginning of the Word is “IN” and the end “AMEN” with Christ Jesus in the between. “In Christ Jesus, Amen!”

God is faithful and good and He will not leave us in an impossible situation without helping us. But sometimes He is waiting on us to step beyond those prison walls of our own making before He will change one thing.

Let me ask a tough question. Please have ears to hear.

Is your focus on yourself or on God within you?

So many of our trials in life can be avoided if we have the right outlook ~ or maybe I should say the right “inlook.”

Are you waiting on God to miraculously act when maybe He has already spoken to you?

Maybe He told you to rest in Him.

Maybe He told you to trust in Him.

Maybe He told you to seek Him.

Maybe He told you to just believe.

Sometimes what may appear to be an external matter between you and others may very well be a heart issue between you and God. What has He been speaking to you? I say these words with nothing but love in my heart. I had to walk through my own prison door. My prison was full of death, despair and hopelessness but I was terrified of stepping outside of it. I was used to my misery and self-pity. We were good friends. I knew how to live that life well.

But God.

He refused to leave me in that prison. He turned my heart from being self-focused to being Christ-focused. It takes self-discipline and intentionality on our part but He’ll meet us there and He will give us the strength necessary to endure. I’m still learning but I’m so thankful that I’m not where I was.

We find freedom in the Word – In Christ Jesus, Amen!

I once allowed my circumstances to control my entire being – my mind, my emotions, my actions, my eating, my words – and it inevitably took a toll on my physical being. I was one hot mess of tears and instability.

But when I started to believe Jesus and believe in Jesus, things shifted. When I started reading the Word and taking control of my thoughts, things shifted.

If we do these things consistently, we will be forever transformed – even if not one thing has changed in our situation.

Learn from my past mistakes, please! If we cannot turn our thoughts away from ourself, we will remain in the hopeless despair of our prison cell. And friends, this is NOT the life Jesus died to give to us. The life He died to give us is complete victory. Victory over death. Victory over our prison cell.

Something amazing happens when we step into victory and commit to being intentional about Jesus.

Light enters our life. Smiling isn’t as hard. Hope is restored. We start seeing mankind all around us once again. Suddenly, stepping outside the open door of our cell isn’t impossible or scary.

Jesus did this for me. And He is not a respecter of men meaning what He does for me, He will do for you too. I know this is true because His Word says it and I believe every single word written in the Bible.

The battle is real. But know this, the battle was conquered by Jesus. Even if our circumstances do not change we will be freed from our prison.

I’d love to hear from you. If these words helped you today, please leave me a comment. If you need prayer, leave me a comment. I pray for my readers every single day to be released from bondage and prison ~ to be blessed each and every day. It’s my heart’s desire to see others walk in the freedom I know is possible through Jesus. Thank You for helping me to share the hope and love in Christ by sharing my site and post with others.

Stay in the Light and Love always,

Eva

Defining Moments…

November 4, 2017 By Eva Conner Leave a Comment

Defining moments in life will make or break us.

Maybe you’ve heard this before but have you ever really thought about these words? We all have those defining moments in life.

Unexpected illness.

Financial losses.

Destruction of property.

Wayward children.

Divorce.

Death.

All too often, when we exeprience an unexpected moment in life, we get stuck.

Our hearts are damaged. Our faith falters. We question God.

I’ve had these defining moments in my life and I’m sure that you have too.

Both of my parents died unexpectedly.

My father-in-law died.

One of my children was diagnosed with celiac disease and borderline personality disorder.

My husband lost his job.

When life happens, how we respond has a big impact on us.

How we respond also impacts those around us as well. I’ll explain using a personal example. My father got very sick very suddenly and was gone within weeks. We did not fully grasp just how sick he was before he died. He was 67. It was devastating and I had so many questions. Why did this happen? Why him?

I was immature in my faith.

I had just started seeking God the year prior to his death. My biblical knowledge was not great. My prayer life was not great. I was not going to church so I did not have a strong Christian support system. But I kept seeking God and He drew me even closer to Him during my time of mourning. I give God all the glory for standing with me when I couldn’t stand on my own. That was 8 years ago this month.

Looking back, I can clearly see how I made decisions that launched me into my future instead of keeping me stuck in my past. I chose to move forward. It’s a decision that we all have to make throughout our life.

Do we trust Jesus to move forward or do we get stuck in one moment in time?

It would have been so easy for me to get stuck in that one moment when my dad died. I could have stayed in mourning blaming my behavior on grief. But I didn’t. Instead I allowed Jesus to take my grief and replace it with joy. I have grown so much in my faith since that day ~ November 27, 2009. My heart has grown. My family has grown. I am now surrounded by an extended family in Christ.

Looking at how my life has blossomed and changed over these last 8 years is overwhelming.

If I would have stayed in that moment when my dad died, I would have forfeited all that I have today.

I once knew a woman who became stuck in one moment. The day her husband left her. She simply could not move forward in life. She chose bitterness and unforgiveness and allowed those things to settle in her heart. She never remarried. She lived her life devoid of joy and love. She lived a life devoid of Jesus. It breaks my heart even now as I’m typing these words knowing all that she forfeited.

Jesus wants to give each of us joy. Abundant Joy!

We only have to let Him in. He is able to make all things better. He will work out ALL things that happen in our lives for our good. How can I say that? I say it in faith because His Word says it and His Word will never lie.

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.
Romans 8:28

All means all.

I am called according to His purpose. You are called according to His purpose. Therefore, He is speaking these words directly into our hearts.

BUT we CAN block “the good” from happening.

When we stop leaning into God and His strength. When we stop seeking HIs face. When we stop focusing on Him. This is when we can block the good from happening in our lives. Jesus tells us that He will give us all that we need.

But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.
Matthew 6:33

It’s vital to our overall well-being that we seek God first. Those moments when grief overwhelms us and it feels like we’ve been punched in the gut, look to Jesus. When we become overwhelmed with fear, look to Jesus. Maybe your adult child is going down a dangerous path, look to Jesus. Your husband tells you he wants a divorce, look to Jesus.

Jesus is the answer no matter the problem.

There is not one problem we can ever encounter where Jesus cannot help. But we must keep our eyes on Him. There is such a thing as joy in mourning. Fullness in lack. Wholeness in brokenness.

We all have defining moments in life. It’s how we deal with these moments that either project us into our future or keep us stuck in our past.

It's how we deal with these moments that either project us into our future or keep us stuck in our past. Click To Tweet

Here is my prayer for all of us today:

Dear Father,

Thank You for Your divine nature. Thank You for taking care of us even before we know You are there. Father, we ask that You hem us in on all sides and keep our steps in pace with You. Help us to not get ahead of You or fall behind You. We know that we will encounter hardships in this life. However when we do, we also know that You promise to never leave us nor forsake us.

Help each one of us going through dark times to look to You and You only for our comfort, joy, love and peace. For we know that You are the one who comforts. You are our Comforter. Thank You for Your ways being so much higher than our ways. We thank You for Your Son Jesus Christ. We thank You for Your precious Holy Spirit. Keep us and guide us in all Your ways.

All this we ask in the precious name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.

Amen♥

Stay in the Light and the Love Always,

Eva

When a Demotion Saved my Life…

August 22, 2017 By Eva Conner 5 Comments

A demotion in the world brought me a promotion in God’s kingdom.

Only God.

I’ve never felt led to share my full testimony until now. But this week, God is clearly telling me to “share it now.” I have learned over the years to simply be obedient. So here’s my story starting with a short video.

Since 1990, I’ve worked for a large law firm. I was 21 years old when I started as a legal secretary. I was also a full time student in college and was ready to take on the world. I have always loved clothes and shoes and I could not wait until I was out of college to get a full time job so I could afford the things I wanted. So I burned the candle at both ends.

Not long after I was hired in 1990, the firm hired a new executive director. He took me under his wing and off we went. Within a year, I received my first promotion. The next couple promotions came just as quickly. I had earned the favor of many because I was a hard worker and I went over and above what I was asked to do.

In 1992, I got married to my very best friend. In 1993, we had our first child. In 1995, our second child came along and in 1998 our third child was born.

Let me add another dimension to this story.

In 1995, we bought our first home. It was a small 2 bedroom home and we immediately went about remodeling it. We removed a wall with a full brick fireplace. My husband removed brick by brick of that fireplace including the chimney. CRAZY! As soon as we finished making that house beautiful, we sold it and bought an old farmhouse that had been built in the late 1800’s. We immediately set about remodeling this house as well.

Over the next few years, we ripped out just about everything we could in that house. We stripped it right down to the studs and re-wired, re-plumbed, hung drywall, and anything else you can think of. In the middle of this, we were both working full time with 3 babies. But I was determined to have a beautiful home. You know, a house that would be worthy of the magazine covers! So I kept pushing. We pulled many all-nighters to finish up last minute things to stay on schedule.

We came very close to losing our marriage because of this frantic pace that we set for ourselves.

But I still didn’t stop pressing forward in this big world.

In 2002, I had 3 children ages 3 to 8 and I was promoted once again. In 2002, we also decided to sell our farmhouse so we could build a new home. And that’s what we did. We rented for a couple years while we built our dream home which we moved in November of 2004.

Our kids were getting a little older and were very active in many sports so our “crazy” just shifted from home remodel to multiple ballfields every night. We did baseball, softball, football and basketball. We did travelling leagues and all-star leagues. Every evening and every weekend were packed full.

Through all of this, God is not part of our lives other than maybe on Easter and Christmas.

In 2008, I was promoted once again to the highest level within my department.

I was now the Director. We have offices in many different states so this position required lots of travel and long hours.

Ironically, 2008 is also when God started speaking to me and calling me towards Him.

Prior to 2008, I was aware of God but I had never accepted Him into my heart. From a young age, I remember being pulled toward Him. I would attempt to read the Bible but would get no further than Genesis chapter 1 (yes, that’s where I started each time because I didn’t know any better).

Even though I had an awareness of God at a young age, I never gave Him too much of my time and certainly not my heart until 2008.

In February of 2008, I had a routine surgery and was supposed to be back to work within a week or less. Something happened during the surgery and my body did not recover as quickly as most so I was laid out on my couch for 3 weeks.

But God. During this time He gripped my heart.

Clicking through the TV on a weekday morning, I found an older gentleman who taught the Bible verse by verse. He was in Second Corinthians and he was explaining law and grace. God used his words to change my heart forever.

God made Romans 8:28 come alive in my life. You know, the part that reads “God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God.” He used a botched surgery to save my soul.

Why do I share all of this with you? Our testimony is what overcomes the enemy.

When we share our testimony with transparency and truth, God will use our words to set another free!

Don’t ever underestimate the power of your testimony.

And they have defeated him by the blood of the Lamb and by their testimony.
Revelation 12:11

Since that time, I continue to learn more and more about the Word. I pray and ask God to guide me and lead me as I learn. If you don’t already have a hunger for the Word, ask God and He will give you a hunger that you can spend a lifetime trying to satisfy.

Getting back to my story, in late 2011 and into 2012, I grew dissatisfied in my job. Working long hours and carrying stress from the position weighed me down. That is when I knew I needed to make a change. God was gradually showing me that I needed to hop off the world-track.

In my heart, I knew I needed to be demoted.

It took me a couple of months to work up the courage to speak to my boss. The executive director who joined the firm at the same time that I did retired a few years before this. We had a new executive director who I liked and respected very much. One day, I had that discussion with him. I explained that I was in over my head and I needed relief that I felt would only come in the form of me stepping out of the lead role. At first, he told me he had confidence in me being able to continue doing the job.

I had to convince him I no longer wanted the job. This was scary because I could have been shown the door. But again, I work at a wonderful firm with wonderful leaders.

I received my demotion. And it saved my life.

Don’t ever be afraid to follow God’s lead. I could not afford to worry about what others would think if I got demoted. I couldn’t afford to be embarassed. My walk with God was too important to me. I knew I would be well when I obeyed His command. Little did I know how very well I would be!

I now report to the person who replaced me and I have a great relationship with him. The stress is gone and I can focus on the calling God has on my life – to teach and encourage other believers so they can rise up to their own calling. I’m also called to reach out to those who do not yet know Jesus.

By me sharing my story and sharing how Jesus works in my own life, I’m providing a way for God to transform lives.

It is through the sharing of our stories when God can work wonders.

Another thing happened in 2012. In addition to knowing God was leading me toward a job change, I also knew He wanted us to make a physical move. So we sold our dream home. God brought us to a nice home but it is not something that I ever would have chosen on my own. In fact, when we first bought our home, I wasn’t crazy about the design. But God. Over the last few years, He has given me a fondness for our house and it is now our home. We are settled and very thankful.

I put homes, possessions and positions above God.

This is nothing more than idolatry. Anything that comes before God is an idol in our lives. It’s not that He doesn’t want us to have nice things. It’s when these “things” are more important than Him in our lives that He gives us a choice.

Choose Him today over whatever He may be calling you away from in your life. You won’t regret it:).

Don’t allow the enemy to convince you that people do not want to hear your story.

That’s simply a lie from the master liar. God tells us just the opposite. Share your story. Be open and transparent. The things that you’ve walked through and the lessons you’ve learned along the way can be just what another person desperately needs to hear.

The verse below speaks about my life before Jesus. Before my demotion, I loved the world.

15 Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. 16 For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world. 17 And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever.
1 John 2:15-17

Below, the Scripture speaks of where my life is today. I am humbled by how far God has brought me in a short while. I stand in awe of His great love for me. I vow to spend the rest of my life sharing my story as He directs.

Friends, I encourage you to share your story as well.

⁷I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. ⁸Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ ⁹and become one with him. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith. ¹⁰I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death, ¹¹so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead!

¹²I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. ¹³No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, ¹⁴I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.

Philippians 3:13-14

Stay in the Light and the Love Always,

Eva

Humble Beginnings

March 2, 2017 By Eva Conner Leave a Comment

Don’t despise humble beginnings.

Picture a small one story house. Now picture a large two story addition added on to this small one story house. It kind of looks out of place. Like a small car pulling a tractor trailer:). This is the image that God gave me in a dream and He called it “Humble Beginnings.”

Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin, to see the plumb line in Zerubbabel’s hand.
Zechariah 4:10a

I have always seen things visually and often that’s how God reveals things to me. In this dream, my husband and I were driving up a mountain. We lived close to the top but not quite at the top. The house where we lived had a beautiful view and it was a beautiful house. But I knew it wasn’t God’s best for us. So we kept driving.

Up, up, up…

When we reached the top there were just a few houses scattered around but my eyes (and my heart) went straight towards a small farmhouse. This home had a really large two story addition behind it. It was all white with a red roof and red shutters. I can still see it vividly in my head. Why a white farmhouse with a red roof and red shutters?

My good and loving Father knows my heart’s desires.

He knows this would be my dream home. He knows all of our hearts’ desires. Doesn’t that give you so much hope and anticipation?

As perfect as this house was for me and my family, what captivated me most was the view. The view was unlike anything I’ve ever seen. It’s hard to put in words. It was majestic and inspiring. It was as if I could see everything in Heaven and earth. There was nothing out of sight (or out of reach).

But God said it isn’t time yet.

He gave me a glimpse of what will one day be. This dream was months ago and I can still remember it very clearly. Here’s the parallel to life that He is giving me to share with each of you.

Enjoy the present moment.

You are right where He wants you to be. While we are all on that journey up the mountain, He wants us to enjoy where we are for it is good and perfect. And it is a gift from Him! We have all we can handle and, as long as we steward that well, He will continue to grow us and give us increase. Much like the little farmhouse. It started small and was able to expand and grow over time.

Not only are His gifts given to us bit-by-bit, His vision for our lives is also given to us in pieces. A couple of years ago, God gave me a verse that has become a building block in everything that He has given me since. This verse keeps me focused so that I don’t become discouraged by what I don’t have. It somehow gives me an eager anticipation of knowing the good things to come so that I don’t live dreading what’s around the corner. Can you relate to that? I used to live waiting for the worst. However, when He gave me this verse, He slowly changed my perspective from fearing the worst to anticipating the best.

Little by little I will drive them out from before you, until you have increased, and you inherit the land.
Exodus 23:30

Our Father is soooo good to us that He will not – He cannot – give us more than we can handle because He knows it could destroy us. He knows our frame. He knows what we can bear. So he must increase us little by little until we are capable of receiving the “more” that He wants us to have.

It’s kind of like introducing foods to a baby.

We can’t give a baby filet mignon as his first food. He wouldn’t be able to handle it. He would choke and could possibly strangle on it. So we start out by introducing soft, mushed-up foods one at a time to test what the baby can tolerate. As he tolerates those foods, more is introduced. This is exactly what God does for us. Out of His pure and unconditional love for us, He feeds us what we are able to tolerate. And the more we can tolerate, the more that is given.

I heard a very powerful sermon on our mortality last night and God brought this dream of the little farmhouse back to me. Hopefully, I can tie my thoughts together for you. In the dream, God was showing me more of His world and less of this world that we live in. This is what He wants to show all of us. We should be living lives where Heaven and earth collide right before us. The more of God that we seek, the more of God that we get. And as we go deeper into who He is, the more of this world we leave behind. Heaven invades earth. Light overcomes darkness. Death is no longer terrifying because you have glimpses of where you will spend eternity.

Yesterday was Ash Wednesday and our preacher said for us to think of the ashes we received in remembrance of our mortality. In remembrance of “dust to dust.” He challenged us to live the next 40 days with our mortality in the forefront of our thoughts. If we do this, would we find certain things as important as we do now? Would we spend our precious moments dashing to and fro?

How would we spend our last few days?

With family?
With God in prayer and meditation?
Alone locked in a room preserving all those words and thoughts we want to leave behind?

Our preacher also asked if we were to write our own obituary, what would it say? WOW. Have you ever thought to sit down and write your own obituary? It has never entered my mind. But since last night I’ve been thinking of it – a lot! I don’t want my obituary to read like a resume with a list of my past accomplishments. I want my obituary to glorify Jesus and Jesus alone. I want people to want to know Him as a result of reading about my life. I want people to see the little by little given to me by God and how it creates a beautiful love story between Creator and His creation. I want people to see the “humble beginnings” along with the “additions” that have been given as good and perfect gifts from a good and perfect Father.

What will your obituary read?

What do you want people to see when they read your obituary? Accept the challenge. If your life does not reflect what you want to see written in the paper, make some changes. God wants us to spend time with Him as our friend. He wants intimacy with each of us. Get before Him today. This is your chance to re-write your legacy.

Stay in the Light and the Love Always,

Eva