But...Joy Comes in th Morning!

Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning.
[Psalm 30:5]

How many nights have you cried so much about a heavy burden, a "wide-open" infected soul wound, the stressors of your day, the monstrous challenges of your tomorrow...feeling as though you have come to the end of your rope, enough has been more than enough, and you can NO LONGER bare tomorrow...  Your eyes are beyond puffy, your tears have soaked your pillow and ran down to your ears, or your make-shift Kleenex, your shirt, is decorated in streaks of black and whatever other shade or hue that enhanced the beauty of your eyes that day...Have you been there? 

I cried out to God for help;

I cried out to God to hear me.

When I was in distress, I sought the Lord;

at night I stretched out untiring hands

and my soul refused to be comforted.

I remembered you, O God, and I groaned;

I mused, and my spirit grew faint.  

[Psalm 77:1-3]

I am sure that I am not alone in the fact that "I've been there."  The good news is that just as sure as there is a night, there must also be a day; and just as sure as there is a winter season in our year, we will also see a spring, summer, and fall come to pass!

Because we live in a fallen world, unfortunately there will be no complete escape for us from hurt and times of trouble.  There will be nights that seem as though they last forever, and our tears will flow without ceasing.  And honestly, there will be "night"/winter seasons in our lives that will feel alone and cold.  But I promise you, with the grander, perfectly credible, and non-fallible word and promise from our loving heavenly Father,

"weeping may endure for a day, but joy comes in the morning"

~Psalm 30:5

Dear Heart, because we have a Father and Lord that is seated on a throne, high and exalted (Isaiah 6:1), we have HOPE and the ASSURANCE that our nights will turn to brighter and more joyful days, and the dark  seasons of our lives with turn into Springs, providing new life and restoration to that which has been desolate and almost dead for us. 

The key is, our FAITH and TRUST in a Father who can NEVER truly disappoint us and will always come through on His promises to us.  We must let go, surrender our trust to Him, and rest, awaiting the new sunrise of the morning.

Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul. ~Psalm 143:8

Try something NEW tonight, TRUST Him!  You can read this and think, "Sounds nice, Teri, but it just won't work for me."  I told you that I have BEEN THERE, and I HAVE...but the key to my joy, the key to seeing my mornings arise,  was the surrender of trust and faith in God.

So try something uncomfortable...try something new to your soul...try this, because what the heck else are you doing that's working so well for you???

Rest well in Him tonight, dear friend, and let your

JOY COME IN THE MORNING!

JOY COMES IN THE MORNING

I could not see for the tears
Flowing down my face
As I thought of His unfailing love
What amazing grace.
I wept for Him but a moment
And then my tears were dry
For joy came in the morning
When my Saviour heard my cry.

Joy came in the morning
When the Saviour heard my cry
Weeping endureth but for a moment
Now I live with Him inside.
I'll tell the world this is not secret
But let this truth be known
Joy comes in the morning
With Jesus on the throne.

I've found true satisfaction
He's everything I need
He is my Bread, my Water
My Living Head indeed
The paths of sin are weary
Now step into the Light
Trust in this sinners' Saviour
Find in Him new life.

Copyright Gary James Smith

Mad Luv~Teri

The "Unlikely" Weapons of Battle

"We use God's mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, that have divine power to demolish strongholds" [2 Corinthians: 10:4] 

On a daily basis, each one of us will have the opportunity to face conflict in some shape or form.  Whether it is a situational conflict, a conflict with a family member, close friend, or co-worker, or even a random person we encounter while we are "out and about", we will come face-to-face with disagreement, strife, a collision of feelings, or incompatibility.  We will experience situations when others will be just plain-old evil to us, hurt us, talk about us, and betray us.  And how will we fight back?

For most of us, when we face a conflict or have been hurt by others, we resort to our "worldly" weapons of war to fight back:

We...

~curse/cuss someone out

~physically strike someone (the nice way of saying "fight" them)

~seek revenge by doing unto them what they did unto us, or worse

~ignore the person

~lose our tempers

~become dejected and depressed

~build up resentment, bitterness, and unforgiveness

But our Lord and His Word tells us that the weapons that we should be utilizing each day to combat these conflicts and battles, SHOULD NOT be these type of worldly weapons.  Instead, we should be picking-up and wielding the mighty weapons of God; the ones that have the divine and utmost power to demolish strongholds and any and everything that may come at us (2 Corinthians 10:4).  

Quite often you and I actually forget that most of these battles that we are encountering are not truly conflicts and betrayal by the physical person(s) that we are "seeing" before us.  The Bible reminds us that "we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places" (Ephesians 6:12).  And it is for THIS REASON, they must need to stop resorting to earthly and worldly weapons of battle, when our REAL battle is in the spiritual realm: God's weapons are in order now!

We need to utilize the correct and appropriate tools for the appropriate situations.  If you are called to be the Chef for the evening in your house, would you take out a comb, brush, hair gel, and a blown dryer?  No!  You'd have a cutting board, a chef's knife, a whisk, a bowl, etc...  If you are a doctor, do you carry a wrench, a hammer, and a level around your waist, or would you most likely tote a stethoscope, otoscope, and tongue depressor?

My point is this...if we want to win our battles, if we want to experience a true and lasting victory, we need to bring our "A-game" and carry the MOST USEFUL and APPROPRIATE tools of battle for the type of battle we are truly fighting.

So, what are God's MIGHTY (and to some of us, "unlikely") weapons of warfare?:

• LOVE
• FORGIVENESS
• PRAYER
• PRAISE
• FAITH
• HIS WORD
• & MORE LOVE

I know...for some of us, these weapons seem "weak" and maybe difficult to stomach at first.  The last thing that your flesh may desire to do after being incensed or hurt is to show love to that someone, and forget about the forgiving part!  But it is God's will, way, and plan for us, so that we may experience sincere victory and peace in our lives.  In the end, wielding love, forgiveness, prayer, praise, faith, and His word, will keep us more healthy and "free and clear" from soul contamination and the unnecessary baggage that resentment, revenge, bitterness, unforgiveness, unresolved anger could actually bring upon us.  

If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. ~Romans 12:18

Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord. ~Romans 12:19

Do not say, "I'll pay you back for this wrong!" Wait for the LORD, and he will deliver you. ~Proverbs 20:22

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. ~John 13:34

Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. ~Ephesians 4:32

Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you. ~Luke 6:28

I DARE YOU to battle HIS WAY...show love to that fool that insulted you, forgive that man that betrayed you, pray for that chick that continues to slander you, praise God for all that IS going right in your life, have faith that He will correct all the wrong that you have suffered, focus and meditate on His Word when faced with conflict, remembering His love and His will for your life, & love, love, love some more! 

YOU ARE MORE THAN A CONQUEROR!

Mad Luv~Teri

Push & Pray...

...but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press towards the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Jesus Christ. ~Philippians 3:13-14


She's earnestly prayed for the opportunity to be a mother.  She's longed to pour her love (the love provided by her Heavenly Father) into another being, one part of her flesh and DNA...she's longed to raise it up according to God's will and ways.


She has determined to get her body into better shape.  She's reduced her caffeine and has increase her folic acid intake.  She's purchased prenatal pills from Target and is getting her body prepared.  Still praying...still hoping...still expecting...still PREPARING...


Another month, another try, she waits the minutes to read her fate. The 3 minutes pass by and she reads the white stick.  TWO PINK LINES!! Her Lord HAS HEARD and has given her THE PROMISE of her continual prayers.


But things hardly stop here for her; her journey is truly just beginning...
She continues to take care of her body,
She continues to be wise with the foods that she eats,
She goes to see the doctor often,
She continues to take her pills...


She's SICK...She's GETTING FATTER...Her back ACHES...Her feet SWELL...Smells NAUSEATE her...


BUT She STILL has THE PROMISE!  A PROMISE she cannot visually see yet within her belly, but she continues to PREPARE, continues to PUSH through all the discomfort that comes with the journey to her promise, and continues to PRAY!


The day has FINALLY ARRIVED: THE DAY that HER PROMISE to be FULFILLED!  However, before she can receive it, before she can embrace it, the GREATEST PUSH of her journey is required.    

She can't stop now...she can't turn back...she can't give up...

SHE MUST PUSH & PRAY...breathe...PUSH & PRAY...breathe...PUSH & PRAY!

And before she knows it, after her long journey, HER PROMISED IS FINALLY BIRTHED!

Maybe you have been praying for a dream to come to pass, longing for a change in your life, hoping to rebuild a broken relationship.  Yes, the prayer of a righteous woman is powerful and effective (James 5:6), and it is important that we pray without ceasing on the matters of our hearts (1 Thessalonians 5:17)...BUT...in the meantime, it is important for us to "push forward" and "press on toward the goal" as we wait in expectation for God to hear our prayer and give us His promise.  If you're praying for a baby, what are you doing to get ready to conceive that baby?  If you are praying for marriage restoration, what are you doing in the meantime to show God's agape love to your spouse?  As much as it depends on you, what are you doing to be a peace with your spouse (Romans 12:18), right now? What preparations and forward steps are you taking towards the birth of your prayer's promise???

Once you receive that word from God, and have received your PROMISE, then what?  Just sit and wait for it?  NO!  You've got to continue on to PUSH and PRAY, reach forward and press on until that non-visible, unseen PROMISE becomes more clear, more visible, and you are finally close enough to it that you can to take a hold of it and embrace it.

Since faith without deeds is dead (James 2:26), and without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6), when we DO receive the PROMISE from God for the prayer we have prayed, it is then imperative for us to hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, remembering that He who promised us is faithful (Hebrews 10:23).  Just as Abraham did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, being full persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised (Romans 4:20-21), so must we!  God is not a man that he should lie (Numbers 23:19), and we must stand in faith, perform the deed of STEPPING OUT, and continue pushing and praying, knowing that our PROMISE will be FULFILLED by Him (if we faint NOT, of course)!  

Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, "Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase."  Just as the pregnant woman does not get to truly see and enjoy her promise, until nine long, arduous months later, we must continue to walk by faith and not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7), until our promise comes to fruition and is birthed, as well.  In the meantime, we need to PREPARE for the coming of the promise, PUSH through, and continually PRAY. "As you begin to prepare you send notice for opportunity to show up!" ~Paula White

"Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize?  Run in such a way as to get the prize." ~1 Corinthians 9:24

Mad Luv~Teri

Faith and Reason-Which Should Prevail?

Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. [Hebrews 11:1]

Reason is defined by Wikipidia as: to think, understand and form judgement by a process of logic.

One of the most challenging things to do in our Christian walk is to have faith in our situations that God has everything under control. Anyone who is a logical thinker knows that having faith is the exact opposite of using reason to form our opinion on what will take place or happen in our lives. We pray for God's will in a situation because we know deep down in our hearts that He knows what's best for us, however, the toughest part is to trust in God's promise or answer to our prayer. Even when we don't see things coming to fruition, we need to remember that God is faithful because the word says "Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful." [Hebrews 10:23] We also need to realize that "without faith it is impossible to please God.." [Hebrews 11:6].

Here is an excerpt from a devotional out of my Women's devotional bible that I actually posted on my refrigerator as a reminder of having to change my mindset in order to trust God. I hope it blesses you as well.

Faith and Reason have been compared to two travelers. Think of Faith as a woman who can walk 20 or 30 miles at a time without flagging, while Reason is a child who can only muster the strength to go two or three miles. One day Reason said to Faith, "Oh, Faith let me walk with you." But Faith replied, "Oh, Reason, you can never walk with me!" Nevertheless, they set out together. When they came to a deep river, Reason said "I can never ford this", but Faith waded through it, singing. When they reached a high mountain, Reason despaired, but Faith carried Reason on her back.

Oh how dependent upon Faith is Reason!

In order to develop the tenacious faith that we need to persevere in these times we need to proactively pick up our bibles to read the many amazing instances of God fulfilling His promises in the most extreme circumstances. Knowing that God is not a respecter of persons lets us be assured that He would not do for Abraham, Noah, or the Israelites what He would not do for us today. I recommend for anyone who is looking to deepen their faith in God continue to pray and meditate on the entire chapter of Hebrews 12. It won't happen overnight, but as you learn more and more about the faithful, awesome God that we serve, you will begin to see that you can trust Him with more and more. As He shows you and comes through in one area, you can release another area of your life to Him, and watch God work! Finally, instead of focusing on what's visible and in our logical minds as possible, we learn that "Nothing is impossible with God". [Luke 1:37]

Love...laugh...live...life is short...Sheree

He is Doing a New Thing!

Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?  I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.
~Isaiah 43:19 


Important Notice:  Readers, I would like to send out my apologies for WoBM not having an inspirational post for you for the past few days.  Making a long story short, God has finally called me out of my "Ur" and is sending me to a place (in my life) that He will show me.  Because I have now been given these new instructions by God, over the next week (to two weeks) I will be pulled many different directions.  Currently our blog only consists of only two authors. I am making an effort to employ the support of other trusted Christian sisters during this time, so that we will not leaving you "hanging" without the good Word, for too many days in a row!  Please be patient during our transition.  Thank you!

Poem by Malta O'Gorman 

It's spring, it's spring, it's spring at last
Another severe cold winter has past.
Time to wake up and enjoy the blooms,
Look around as now new life looms.

The sun shining brightly up in the sky
Melting snows on mountains high.
Time to put away mittens and coats
Just needing light jackets at most.

Birds return chirping in the morn
As butterflies flutter in the dawn.
Bumble-bees are busy buzzing
Sharing the early blossom's pollen.

Thunder roars off in the distance
Sounding at times loud and boisterous
Yet Gentle spring rains fall to nourish
As new life around us begins to flourish.

Spring is a time of new beginnings
And fresh new fragrances are winding.
Bright glorious colors come into view
As heaven sends blossoms a new.

Enjoy the refreshing time of the year
As God renews his love so clear
In new life growth all around beaming
As God continues to send his blessings.
~Malta MAR 2007~

He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”                                  

                                                    [Revelations 21:5]

It's Spring, Everyone...get that revelation!

Mad Luv~Teri