I SURRENDER ALL - IT'S TRANSFORMING!

TRANSFORMING THURSDAY

"Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is,

there is freedom.

And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory,

are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory,

which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit."

2 Corinthians 3:17-18

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Let me introduce you to Nic Vujicic.

Nic understands being lonely and broken.

Many times about this to his LORD he has spoken.

In anger, he has cried out...

Not understanding what his life was all about,

God heard his cries while Nic was down on his knees

God listened to this broken young man's pleas.

Nic finally decided to become available

And God's Spirit began to use him as a vessel!

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Matthew 5:3-4

"Blessed are the poor in spirit,

for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

"Blessed are those who mourn,

for they shall be comforted.

Jeremiah 29:11

'For I know the plans that I have for you,

' declares the LORD,'

plans for welfare and not for calamity

to give you a future and a hope."


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I SURRENDER ALL - TO BE GOD'S DOG!

WOMEN IN THE WORD WEDNESDAY

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Matthew 5:3-4

"Blessed are the poor in spirit,

for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
"Blessed are those who mourn,

for they shall be comforted."

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A dog is often known as "man's best friend". How is a good dog like the above scripture?

1. Her master is everything to her! She looks for any opportunity to be led, to serve, to protect, to please her master. When she gets distracted by a cat, a bird, or another dog it just takes her master's voice to get her back on track. Her master is first and foremost the love of her life! BLESSED ARE THE POOR IN SPIRIT!


2. She's sad when she is seperated from her master. She longs for her master's return. She often sits by the door or watches out the window. When corrected, she'll put her tail between her legs or her head under her paws. She'll whine... she'll whimper... she'll howl... she mourns that she has displeased her master. BLESSED ARE THOSE WHO MOURN!

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I'm brief today, so you can link up and read what Patrick Mead has to say about wanting to be "God's Dog".

http://patrickmead.net/?p=475

I SURRENDER ALL - TO BE YOUR WOMAN

What if you had a friend who was selfless? What if this friend talked and listened to God daily? I live a very blessed life because I have multiples of these kind of friends. The one who I am thinking of today, well, her name should be BLESSING. Most people who know her can list ways that she has blessed them. Her husband can tell you how she gave up much for him to leave a ministry with a church so he could go back to law school (with three kids). Her kids can tell you how she prays, listens, and guides. Her house church can tell you how she's their prayer warrior, mercy giver, selfless servant...their sister who has given up herself for the love of her LORD. Her name is Mary. Most people who know her call her Missy.

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Talk to those who have needed a friend when no one else seemed to care. Missy's there!

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Ask women who have struggled in their marriage relationships who was there for them. Missy was the friend!

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Listen to women tell you who is praying for their needs. Missy indeed!

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Hear the neighborhood kids talk about who's the mom who hosts the kids AND teaches them about Jesus? Missy Douglas!

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When Steve and I moved from Indiana to South Jersey in 2007, we left our two young adult daughters behind. As many of you know, one of them suffers from chronic migraines. Her sister chose to stay and share an apartment with her (that story is for another day) while she finished up her senior year in college. We were concerned but then again...Missy was there!

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Every day for a year or more Missy prayed for the girls and emailed them. Many days she prayed for Steve and I and emailed us. The heart of Jesus is evident in this selfless, persistent, enduring friend of mine. Here are some email starters from Missy to me over a one month period in 2007 and another one month period in 2008. Did I tell you that she was doing this for multiple others besides the 3 emails in our family, being mother/wife in a very active family, teaching school full time, hosting a house church? Did I tell you that I am so grateful for my sister is Christ, Missy Douglas?

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2007 - one month's time...different prayers on different days:

• Pray that God's will be done...
  
• I love you Patti...
  
• I love you my friend! Thank you for your encouraging words...
  
• But, be strong and courageous!
  
• I loved picking up Crystal. She is such a joy!
  
• Well, my friend, thank you for your prayer! I needed it today. I seem to spend a lot of time emailing prayers to people, and when I get one for myself, it makes me cry! Thank you for that gift today. I will keep it and reread when I need to be lifted up.
  
• I also have been praying for you and Steve. May God bless your ministry there...
  
• I was praying for your girls and wanted to tell you I am praying for you, too...
  
• I am praying for you today. May God prepare the way before you as you go ...
  
• Praise God for His goodness! I will continue to pray...


• I am praying for you, dear sister. May God uphold you as you have so many burdens. I pray that His peace washes over you and that you are surrounded and supported by His angels. May God be merciful to you and your family...


• I praise our Great and Powerful God for His great mercy! What is man that He is mindful of us? Yet, He sent His son to save us. I continue to pray that this same God will show mercy to you and your family. I pray that Jessica's healing is at hand..
  

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2008 - one month's time...different prayers on different days:

• I am praying for you today...May God bless your family, your church, and your marriage. Hold fast to the Lord, for He is good. I pray that His goodness pours down...
  
• Praise God! God listened! We praise this amazing God who cares so much about us all...


• Thought you would be interested in this miracle...


• Hello to both of you. I finished reading an amazing book called, The Shack by William P. Young. It is a fictional story of a man who has suffered great loss and pain. He is invited by God to meet him at the scene of tragedy...


• Amen! God is so good! I am being reminded of this constantly...


• I am praying for you today. May God help you carry your shield of faith when your strength is weak. I pray that the Holy Spirit brings your prayers to God when you cannot. I ask God's mercy to pour out on you and your entire family. Hold fast. Be strong and courageous. The Lord is your strength. Praise God!


• May God bless you with many encouragers today. I pray that you find your burden lifted and shared by those around you. May God interceed for you and your family...


• God is indeed faithful...

BLESSED are the poor in spirit

for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

BLESSED are those who mourn

for they shall be comforted.

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I SURRENDER ALL - GET BEHIND ME SATAN!

MEDITATION MONDAY

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Please stay! Don't go! I know you've read the title of today's post and are hearing the words to this week's theme song. Satan really does not want you to focus on Jesus. Please don't let him distract or detract you.

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This past week, my husband Steve was offered a condo get-away for a long deserved R & R. I won't go into all the reasons he really really needed this time...just suffice it to say "he did!" Steve calls these his "mountain top times". He goes away for deep reflective time of meditation, prayer, journaling, Bible Study, prayer, more prayer.... He returns refreshed, renewed, re-energized, revived, rededicated...you get the picture.

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He got off later than expected which is very usual for anyone who is more than waist deep in ministry. After his first night, he awoke, showered, fixed some breakfast and sat down with his Bible and notebook open. BANG! BANG! BLAM! VROOOOOOM! WHACK! RIP! VROOOOOOM! BANG! BLAM! All this noise began right above his head. He soon found out that the entire condo unit was scheduled for re-roofing for the next few days...the days that he would be there for his R & R.

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I'll save the rest of the story for a later time. What I want to emphasize is this. Steve has known for several months now that he really needed some extra time with the LORD. We've prayed for an opportunity and we believe that God worked it so that a fellow christian's condo became available "out of the blue" to answer our prayer. Really? Yes!

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Steve is a man of God who understands how important it is to live this BLESSED LIFE as described in the Beattitudes. He knows that in order for him to remain focused on God's kingdom, his kingdoms must continually be surrendered. He gets so deep into ministry that he can identify with Jesus and the need to just get away and pray. Pray for strength! Pray for guidance! Pray for focus! Pray to not be led into tempation! Pray for all those who he ministers with and to! Satan wants none of that! His timing to distract and detract are planned and orchestrated with precision. He did not win this battle with Steve Sikes. Because of JESUS CHRIST, he will not win the war!

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Yesterday morning, Dan's lesson from Nehemiah 1 gave me some things about this topic that I want to share with you:

1. NEHEMIAH WAS POOR IN SPIRIT. Nehemiah was a humble and prayerful man. He honored God as the Great I AM and knew what God's Kingdom was about. Although he had been with his people in captivity, he had heard that more horrible things were happening back in his homeland. Those who were back in Jerusalem were in great distress and the wall of of the city was broken down and it's gates were burning with fire. Nehemiah said, "Now it came about when I heard these words, I sat down and wept and mourned for days; and I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven..."
2. NEHEMIAH MOURNED. He was so poor in spirit that he continued crying out to God for his people...for himself...read carefully what he says, "...I beseech Thee, O LORD God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who preserves the covenant and lovingkindness for those who love Him and keep His commandments, let Thine ear now be attentive and Thine eyes open to hear the prayer of Thy servant which I am praying before Thee now, day and night, on behalf of the sons of Israel Thy servants, confessing the sins of the sons of Israel which we have sinned against Thee; I and my father's house have sinned. We have acted very corruptly against Thee and have not kept the commandments, nor the statutes, nor the ordinances which Thou didst command Thy servant Moses."

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Our scriptures this week are powerful:

Matthew 5:3-4

"Blessed are the poor in spirit,

for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

"Blessed are those who mourn,

for they shall be comforted."

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Sin hurts!

Seperating ourselves from our own kingdoms hurts!

Part of this week's song powerfully states

that surrendering costs...it is a sacrifice!

Confessing our sins like Nehemiah did takes bravery!

Satan does not want you to do it!

He does not want you to live

the BLESSED LIFE!

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"I have wrestled in the darkness of this lonely pilgrim land
Raising strong and mighty fortresses that I alone command
But these castles I've constructed by the strength of my own hand
Are just temporary kingdoms on foundations made of sand
In the middle of the battle I believe I've finally found
I'll never know the thrill of victory 'til I'm willing to lay down
All my weapons of defense and earthly strategies of war
So I'm laying down my arms and running helplessly to Yours
I surrender all my silent hopes and dreams
Though the price to follow costs me everything
I surrender all my human soul desires
If sacrifice requires
That all my kingdoms fall
I surrender all."
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I SURRENDER ALL

SUNDAY IN THE SON

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Jesus, I love you!

I love how you modeled surrender!

Luke 22:42-43

"Father, if Thou art willing,

remove this cup from Me;

yet not My will,

but Thine be done."

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Sister, I love you! I love how you want to be like Jesus! One of you emailed me the other day and I smiled. I've been where she was so many times...setting goals...saying "I'm here LORD, take me just as I am...". Yet, complete surrender was not really there. Here is part of the email of a "transforming mom" that made me smile:

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"I set a very ambitious goal for myself this year...to listen more, listen better, and to speak less. I decided not to share that particular goal with anyone (up until now) because I thought that if I succeeded, eventually someone would notice, and that would be my measure of success. And also, because if I failed miserably, no one would know but God and me! But I can see that I need both prayer and accountability partners on this one because I failed right out of the gate!"

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Sound familiar?

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"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven." Guess what needs to happen? All our kingdoms need to fall to make room for the kingdom of heaven! This week's song is one of my favorites. Like last week's song, it's a "where the rubber meets the road" kind of song. May this song convict you deep in the heart as you...

Desire more

to be poor!

( in spirit, that is!)

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I Surrender All

lyrics David Moffit and Reggie Hamm

sung by Clay Crosse

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1.

I have wrestled in the darkness of this lonely pilgrim land

Raising strong and mighty fortresses that I alone command

But these castles I've constructed by the strength of my own hand

Are just temporary kingdoms on foundations made of sand

In the middle of the battle I believe I've finally found

I'll never know the thrill of victory 'til I'm willing to lay down

All my weapons of defense and earthly strategies of war

So I'm laying down my arms and running helplessly to Yours

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Chorus:

I surrender all my silent hopes and dreams

Though the price to follow costs me everything

I surrender all my human soul desires

If sacrifice requires

That all my kingdoms fall

I surrender all

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2.

If the source of my ambition is the treasure I obtain

If I measure my successes on a scale of earthly gain

If the focus of my vision is the status I attain

My accomplishments are worthless and my efforts are in vain

So I lay aside these trophies to pursue a higher crown

And should You choose somehow to use the life I willingly lay down

I surrender all the triumph

for it's only by Your grace

I relinquish all the glory,

I surrender all the praise

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Chorus:
I surrender all my silent hopes and dreams
Though the price to follow costs me everything
I surrender all my human soul desires
If sacrifice requires
That all my kingdoms fall
I surrender all...

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3.

Everything I am,

all I've done,

and all I've known

Now belongs to You,

the life I live is not my own

Just as Abraham laid Isaac on the sacrificial fire

If all I have is all that You desire

I surrender all

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part of Chorus:
I surrender all my human soul desires
If sacrifice requires
That all my kingdoms fall
I surrender all

JUST AS I AM: POOR IN SPIRIT AND READY FOR TRANSFORMATION

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TRANSFORMING THURSDAY.

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I am so thankful for transformation! I wouldn't want you to see or know the real Patti Sikes. Oh, she pops up. Those closest to me see her and know her. They don't like her around.

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When I choose to be POOR IN SPIRIT, God can take me, work with me, and transform me.

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Philippians 3:20-21 says,

"For our citizenship is in heaven,

from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior,

the Lord Jesus Christ;

who will transform the body of our humble state

into conformity with the body of His glory,

by the exertion of the power that

He has even to subject all things to Himself."

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I've had several "Kingdom of Heaven" experiences this week. Remember my Wendy's story that I shared yesterday? One thing is usually very clear during these GOD STOP times - someone's humility has allowed them to be transformed more into the glorious image of Christ. I do believe that the transformation that Jesus desires in us is much more than any of us can ever fathom. Yet, when it happens, it is a beautiful thing!
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I read Barnes Notes comments on the concept of being poor in spirit... humble... and I really liked what he had to say:

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"...to be willing to be where God places us,
to bear what He lays on us,
to go where He bids us,
and to die when He commands;
to be willing to be in His hands,
and to feel that we deserve no favor from Him.
It is opposed to pride,
and vanity,
and ambition..."

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"It is remarkable that Jesus began His ministry in this manner, so unlike all others. Other teachers had taught that happiness was to be found in honor, or riches, or splendor, or sensual pleasure. Jesus overlooked all those things, and fixed His eye on the poor and the humble, and said that happiness was to be found in the lowly vale of poverty more than in the pomp and splendors of life."

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TRANSFORMATION, MY SISTER, BEGINS WITH POVERTY OF SPIRIT! Come back tomorrow and we'll talk about how that works with us and our kids!

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In the meantime, if you want to really be encouraged today, here are two of my favorite GOD links in the last 24 hours:

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• Laura, heavenly homemaker friend, had a huge GOD STOP and thinks that "He's Up to Something!"
• http://heavenlyhomemakers.com/blog/hes-up-to-something#comment-11818
  
  
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• Terry, preacher friend and St. Louis Cardinals chaplain, got a few amazing phone calls "just out of the blue". Yes, Terry, I think "He's up to something!" Just a little note to those of you who are new to Terry: He's been writing a whole lot lately about being led by the Holy Spirit... about letting God be in control... about doing things in God's timing... He's been writing a new book and it was rejected last week by a publisher. Looks like God may have something else in mind! Link here to find out more:
• http://terryrush.blogspot.com/2009/01/good-news-is.html

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JUST AS I AM

SUNDAY IN THE SON

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I am so excited that God is providing a way for me to continue this blog in 2009. We started in June with the same message that we will start 2009 with:
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POUR IT OUT!

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Let's pour ourselves out at the feet of Jesus!

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Blessed are the POOR IN SPIRIT!

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1.

Dear Lord,

I’m on my knees again

I come to You because You understand

I’ve tried so hard,

but I just can’t change myself

That’s why I know I need Your help

Chorus:

So here I am

This in my plea

My only hope is Your love for me

I’m reaching out

So desperately

Come take my hand;

take all of me

Just as I am!

2.

Oh Lord,

You make what’s broken new

Why can’t I just learn to follow You

I want to know You and feel You in my soul

I surrender all control

(Chorus again)

I am not afraid to follow You where You lead me

I can leave the past behind me

I’m forgiven and I’m free!