Hey Daddy, Watch This!

I know a lot of really cool people.  Honestly, I think I have some of the greatest people to walk the earth entrenched in my life.  These people come in all shapes, sizes, ages, personalities and backgrounds.  I feel very 1-dimensional when I'm with them.  I'm really not, but surely some of you know what it's like to have at least one person in your life that is just so well-rounded that you take a look in the mirror and say, "Self...you're boring."  Or maybe not.  Maybe I'm the only one out here talking to myself in the mirror.

I know God has brought every single person to me for a very specific purpose.  Every one of them has true value to add to my life.  There are no accidents when you live in Christ.  Every little intricate detail of your life is planned out before the days of the Earth.  I love that about Him. 

There is one person in particular that has been standing out to me lately.  Great things come in small packages, right ladies? :)  Well, the Lord has brought me a very beautiful and very unique gift in a very small package.  She is wonderful.  She is sweet.  She is beautiful.  She is wise WAY beyond her years.  She is full of Christ.  She is a servant.  She walks in boldness and humility.  She is well-spoken.  She is well-educated.  She loves me and that makes me smile.  The moment I met her, she nestled her way into my heart.  She has brought me much joy.  We have had great talks that have enlightened me.  She smiles at me and hugs me a lot.  You get the picture...

Well my memory verse for the next two weeks is 1 Peter 3:12 (amp) "The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and His ears are attentive to their prayers.  But the face of the Lord is against those who practice evil."  This verse came alive to me today because the Lord corresponded it with an encouraging word He had me deliver to this sweet friend of mine over the weekend.  He used the love I have for her to minister to me about how much He loves me...how He is saying the same to me.  He loves me us so much that He constantly watches us.  He looks for us when we wake up in the morning.  His gaze follows us all day.  It's not just any gaze.  It's that deep, loving gaze that is protective like a lion and as loving as a lamb.  The depth of His gaze is far too deep for us to ever understand.  It is hot with passion.  It is a jealous stare that says, "Go ahead Satan...make my day.  Touch her and I'll crush you again."

Remember when you were a kid and you wanted so much for your Daddy to pay attention to you.  "Hey Dad, watch this!"  Then you do some "amazing" trick. :)  As children we long for our parents to watch us and listen to us every moment of the day.  I have a son that would love nothing more than to have my full attention 24/7.  As an earthly parent, that can be exhausting and totally impossible.  But it's not a problem for our Heavenly Father.  He constantly watches us and "His ears are attentive to our prayers."  He listens to every word.  He doesn't miss anything.  He listens when I praise Him.  He pays attention when I attempt to blame Him.  He intently tunes in to my requests.  I'm convinced He laughs at my jokes when no one else does.  He loves it when I quote His Word back to Him.  He is moved when I weep at His feet. 

I picture this precious friend of mine, as she lives her life pure and holy before the Lord...I see her twirling around, arms reached out towards Heaven, with a beautiful smile on her face and a sweet giggle in her voice saying, "Hey Daddy, watch this!"  He's watching her.  He's been watching her.  He's so pleased with her.  She is His delight.  I know He is absolutely in love with her.  I know this because He had me tell her.  Then His gentle yet firm voice says to me, "And I love you too..."  Those words fill me with great joy and overwhelming strength.  As long as my Daddy is watching me and listening to me...all things are possible.

Learning What it REALLY Means to be a Warrior

The enemy HATES when we take a stand against him.  He can't stand to see us cut the heads off of our Goliaths.  When we do he quickly rallies his troops and sends out another attack.  Sometimes that attack is harder than the previous.  If we aren't grounded on the foundation of Jesus Christ we will crumble under the attack.  We must have the Word in us so we can understand who we are in Christ and who He is as our All-Sufficient, Sovereign Father.  We have to know that we can lean on Him and that He is so faithful to us.  We have to be deeply rooted in Him so that when the wind and heat from storms and trials come, we will survive.  Just as David spent time in the pasture tending the sheep and allowing God to instill those deep, intimate things in him...we must do the same.  If we don't we will quickly succumb to fear, doubt and the temptation to quit. 

We may get the wind knocked out of us at first.  (That first blow can come as a major surprise and can often catch us off-guard.  That's just part of being human.) But we can't stay down very long.  We have to fight the paralysis of fear.  It certainly is a choice we have to make.  We have to decide, "this day I stand up and fight" or "I think I'll lay here another day".  Oh the temptation to just lay there.  I mean, what could it hurt, right!?  Just one more day.  Maybe if I go back to sleep tomorrow it will all have been a dream.  We won't get stronger just laying there.  Often times we won't immediately know what the fight is going to look like.  We won't know how long or how hard we're going to have to fight.  What we do know is that this fight we are in has already been won.  Ultimately we win.  Until that day of redemption, we can certainly win the fights on this side of Heaven by relying on our Father.  By fighting with the power and authority that has been given to us.  It is senseless to ignore the amazing tools, resources and weapons provided to us by God.  Many of us sit on the battlefield with our armor and weapons laying on the ground beside us instead of putting them on and using them.  The powerful name of Jesus alone is greater than any nuclear bomb man could ever make.  We must not waste them.

This fight will be a testimony to those that are watching us fight.  And trust me, they are watching!  People always look for the greatest warriors on the battlefield.  Anyone can give up and this world is looking for that rare gem of a person that chooses to fight...and fight right.  There is too much at stake.  Too many eternal lives will be lost if we don't walk out our battles in power, authority, obedience and humility.  Our lives aren't really about us.  The sooner we realize this, the sooner we will all become real warriors.


So today I make a choice to fight.  It is time to get back on my feet.  I have a testimony to build and the Glory of God will be all over it!