Save the oil!

I'm usually very conscious about how much things cost and I'm grateful for what I have and I try not to waste anything. Today I thought to myself after cooking: man I use a lot of oil. And then it just gets spilled out because it's too much. And at first I thought, "Eh. It's just oil. It's not that expensive or anything." But then I thought: "Oh no. Wait. Actually olive oil is VERY expensive." So for lunch I wasn't able to save it though I tried. It just wasn't working. But for dinner I saved some oil and hopefully it kept and I can use it tomorrow. 

To bring it to the spiritual side:
 
1) Christ does that for us. He's like: This girl is worth too much; she is worth my life. So I'm not gonna let her go. I'm gonna pick up every last morsel and use and reuse it. I'm not gonna waste anything. I'm not gonna let her just fall down the drain. She is very valuable.

And then 2) We should be like that with the anointing and with our relationship with God. We're like: Eh, it's just worship. It's just prayer. It's just reading some scriptures. It's just church. It's just a meeting. It's just a phone call. Whatever it may be for you. And we just get so lazy with things and let it slip away. We should also be like that with our friendships/relationships. Eh, we'll talk some other time. Oh, tomorrow I'll remember to tell him I love him. 

We try to save what is valuable to us, what seems pricy, what we have poured into/invested in. Even though sometimes we want to give up precisely because we've poured so much into it. But the point is, we should show honor to those to whom honor is due and let them know that you care. Have we counted the cost of following Christ? (Philippians 3:8) Because He counted us worthy (Hebrews 12:2). 

#justsaying.

Surrender

Yesterday I was in the middle of asking God to help me to surrender. I got about half way through and He stopped me. And He was like: Stop asking me that. People may be confused by that but I knew what He meant. He didn't mean that I shouldn't ask for help. What He meant was that sometimes, at least for me, when I ask for help, it's an excuse. It's me saying, "God really I don't want to take responsibility so I'm going to act like I'm weak so that YOU'll do it for me." Something like that. So God told me: Just do it. So I lifted my hands and said "Ok God. I surrender. I'm taking my hands off of this. Only you can do it. But you CAN do it." Then of course when that happens, you may feel strong for a little while and then the battle comes when you REALLY have to believe God and you REALLY have to do what you said you were going to do - i.e., let God fight your battles. Aye. No es facil. It's not easy. BUT I know that I know that the ONLY one who can do it is God. I am just going to make things so much worse if I try to change things. So God, I'm taking my hands off of it and I'm gonna let You work Your miracles. 

People, hold on. When it seems CRAZY is when you're gonna want to give up the most but that's when you have to trust Him the most. When you really have to press in and praise Him and cry out to Him and seek Him and obey Him. You may be trying to fix things and while you're trying to fix it, you're actually blocking or delaying God's plan. Listen, one way or another, God's will will be done....I'm gonna pray....

God I pray right now for myself and all your children who are reading this. I pray God that we would cling to You God and hold on to You when we are scared. God, we believe that You are working things out when all Hell breaks loose. We believe that You have our lives, our families, our jobs, our health in Your hands. But sometimes it gets crazy and it's hard to just be still and know that You are God. So just hold Your people God. Hold us. God there are a lot of people right now who are hurting because You are in the process of or about to begin completing the work in their families or their lives but it's so scary and it's so painful. So please God I send Your word of comfort to them even right now. Hold us God. Have mercy on us, on our hearts. Comfort us and help us to say no when we need to say no. Help us to keep our peace in the midst of what we're going through or what is happening around us. Finish the work that You've started in us or start a work in our lives in those areas that we have been pidiendole - praying for for the longest time. God we need You. Let everyone receive Your peace tonight as they read this. And even those that are not reading this. God, they, we, need You. And we love You God and we desire to do Your will and we desire to see Your glory God. God have Your way. In Jesus' name. 

The Word of God in Psalm 34:10 says that those who seek the LORD will lack no good thing. Psalm 23:1 says that the LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want. . . . I once tried to tell my niece about Psalm 91 where it says that He will command His angels concerning you that your foot should not strike a stone. She replied: "but my foot has struck a stone before." She didn't understand at the time that we can't always take it literally. And it reminded me of this. These two scriptures say that God meets all of my needs. Philippians 4:19 also says that. However, first of all we have to look at the context. Second of all, David who wrote the Psalm knew what it was to be in lack. And you and I have had times when we're lacking something. Actually, if we didn't have lack, we wouldn't need a God or know Him as provider. 

I thought of this scripture in the following manner: to me I have experienced lack in my relationships. I have often felt like I was missing something or not completely satisfied. To be honest, I have had to battle with rejection and fear, with loneliness and bitterness. But God has shown me and is showing me: humans are fallible. And I of all people should know that since I am a fallible human just like the rest. Yes there have been times when people should have stepped up to the plate and didn't and there were times when I should have been there for someone or done something for someone and I didn't. But where others or I failed, God met the need. Maybe I don't have certain relationships with certain people, but I am still alive and I am resilient and healed. So God must've done something right. He would always either send someone else to meet my need, even in unexpected ways, or He himself would minister to me or miraculously save me or give me what I've needed. Even and perhaps especially when I didn't serve Him or I didn't ask. Even when I don't realize. 

I am surrounded by many people who genuinely love me and are committed to praying for me as the Spirit leads them. But they are not here in the middle of the night or in the times of my temptation. I can't always go to them to talk or pray. Just like I'm really not available 100% of the time. Nobody really is. But if people pray for me or think of me it's under the direction of God anyway. And regardless if I come to anyone's mind, God sees me. And I don't know if in these times people happen to be praying for me but I have learned how to pray for myself. And where I lack, the Holy Spirit prays for me. And when I can't think to pray or I'd rather fight or run, God dispatches His angels as Jesus intercedes. And then the battle passes and I can have some rest.

Are my feet going to occasionally strike a stone? Yes. Are people going to fail me? Yes. But when the smoke clears and my heart settles I understand that I am loved and surrounded by loving, praying people and a mighty and loving God. If I made it this far it's because I do not lack anything.

I truly can say, "All I have needed Thy hand hath provided. Great is Thy faithfulness Lord unto me."