Follow His Commands!

Hmmm, who do we think we are? Indeed! How many of us follow the path of our choosing, as opposed to seeking God's counsel first? I know I certainly have....and admittedly, still do. And then in retrospect I say "Oops, Lord, sorry! What would you have me do now that I'm here & have gone ahead & done this?" Feel the slap on the hand yet?

It's amazing how I discover things in my Bible that I just never saw before. Oh, I don't know....like the whole book of Deuteronomy! Ok, I read it in my first Bible. But, I got myself a new Bible because I'd marked up my older one & couldn't see anything with fresh eyes. Ummmm, got that back in 2007. Seriously, almost 4 years & I haven't read Deut yet?! But, oh how the Holy Spirit it faithful to reveal SO much through the fresh eyes of a clean page, and life experiences over those 4 years to make verses just leap off the page! Here's what I've seen, dear BB's with related Scripture the Spirit lead me to also share:

"...what does the LORD your God ask of you but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in obedience to him, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to observe the LORD’s commands and decrees..." (Deut. 10:12-13)

"but I gave them this command: Obey me, and I will be your God and you will be my people. Walk in obedience to all I command you, that it may go well with you." (Jer. 7:23)

"But if from there you seek the LORD your God, you will find him if you seek him with all your heart and with all your soul. When you are in distress and all these things have happened to you, then in later days you will return to the LORD your God and obey him. For the LORD your God is a merciful God; he will not abandon or destroy you or forget the covenant with your ancestors, which he confirmed to them by oath." (Deut. 4:29-31)

"Fear the LORD your God, serve him only and take your oaths in his name. Do not follow other gods, the gods of the peoples around you..." (Deut. 6:13-14) (These "gods" could be any number of things we idolize: tv, other people, sports figures, money, addictions, etc.)

"Do not put the LORD your God to the test as you did at Massah. Be sure to keep the commands of the LORD your God and the stipulations and decrees he has given you. Do what is right and good in the LORD’s sight, so that it may go well with you and you may go in and take over the good land the LORD promised on oath to your ancestors..." (Deut. 6:16-18)

"Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments." (Deut. 7:9)

"If you pay attention to these laws and are careful to follow them, then the LORD your God will keep his covenant of love with you, as he swore to your ancestors." (Deut. 7:12) (see that? we must FIRST follow God's laws carefully & THEN he will keep His covenant. Why would He bless us if we don't bother to follow Him?)

"Remember how the LORD your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD." (Deut. 8:2-3) (God causes us to "hunger". I believe that hunger is those things within us that we strive for, dream of, hunger for that we just can't seem to attain. It's a deep-seated desire that is unfulfilled, not something superficial. I believe He "causes us to hunger" to test us to see if we will seek Him with all our heart and soul. THEN He will work things that bring about the fulfillment of that hunger by revealing even more of Himself through the process!)

“As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." (Is. 55:9)


It all boils down to trust, my friends!

Hmmm, wonder what else is to be revealed as I continue on in Deut?! Can't wait to learn & share with you, dear BB's!

Be blessed by what He's shared with you here today through me. Thank you, Father, for using me to reach your followers and any lost souls! ~ Merana


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The Beauty of "Grace" (Hidden Treasure #4)

Hello my precious BB's. Oh how I wish I could sit here & read endlessly all the trials, dreams, hopes, fears you all share with the blogging world. Alas, I'm neglectful in my time here. I feel it.

Awhile back I told y'all that I've been concentrating on the smaller books of the Bible. I read Esther all the way through this a.m. But last week I was reading Nehemiah. Powerful, powerful book! God shared with me what He wants me to share with you from this book, a bit more mixed up & discombobulated than how Nehemiah wrote it...but it gets the point across in the end. Everything I take is from Nehemiah 9 NIV.

But when they were oppressed they cried out to you. From heaven you heard them and in your great compassion you gave them deliverers, who rescued them from the hand of their enemies (v. 27b&c) But see, we are slaves today...{we are slaves to different things in this world, BB's...time waste, obligations, addictions, disobedience, avoidance, intolerance, depression} (v.36). And when they cried out to you again, you heard from heaven, and in your compassion you delivered them time after time. (v. 28c)

But you are a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love. Therefore you did not desert them even when...{choose whatever "even when" that applies to you, BB's} (v.17-18) Because of your great compassion you did not abandon them... (v. 19) You gave your good Spirit to instruct them. You did not withhold... (v. 20)

For many years you were patient with them. By your Spirit you admonished them... (v.30) In your great mercy you did not put an end to them or abandon them, for you are a gracious and merciful God. (v. 31) In all that has happened to us, you have been just; you have acted faithfully, while we did wrong. (v. 33) You have kept your promise because you are righteous. (v.8b)


Grace is offered, not because of who we are, because we will always most certainly fall short, but because it is God showing us His mercy in action.

Thank you, Father God, for loving me and for forgiving me even though....

Blessings ~ Merana


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My Well (Old Writing #4 - LONG!)

MY WELL©

Imagine my well, if you will.

It is cold down here. It is wet. The walls are so slippery. I cannot climb out. I can’t get a foothold. I cannot get a grasp on anything.

And then . . . then, there is the darkness. The darkness is . . . is everywhere. It permeates all space around me. It envelopes me in its clammy grip.

There is fear here. It penetrates me. It takes over my thoughts, my feelings - it bores into my being.

I feel as if I’m falling . . . and then I realize - I am. Is it possible to get further down in a well? It is!

Oh, now I know what it is – I’m sinking. I’m sinking in this well. I’m being overcome by this dark, wet, dank, dreary place – my well.

I wonder . . . does anyone even know that I am here? Has anyone recognized that I’m not where I should be? Is this what it comes down to for my life?

I cannot say a word. I don’t shout for help – perhaps because I don’t feel I can. I hear the pleas of anguish in my head, but the words won’t form on my lips, nor air breathed into them from my lungs. I certainly feel a need – the need for urgent, lifesaving help as I slip further into the darkness.

As I’m frozen and sinking further, I know that I am being overcome. I am losing my fight. I have resigned myself to the fact that my life will end in this desperate state – alone, cold, wet, miserable, and surrounded by deafening darkness.

Deafening darkness, you say? How can sound be associated with light, or lack of both thereof? I don’t know the answer to that for sure. All I do know is that when you are in that darkness, it is so incredibly loud - it saturates everything around me. Yes, there is a sound to the darkness. It pounds in my ears. It makes my head swim. I truly feel that I’m going under as it consumes me.

Just as I feel the life ebb from my body, there comes a light above me. It is brilliant through the darkness. And there is a voice saying, “Take my hand. I will get you out.”

But, how can he reach down for me when I couldn’t even reach up before? Just then I feel his grasp around my wrist as I’m about to go under.

“Oh my gosh,” I think, “I am free!” I am free of all the toil of trying to climb out on my own. I am free of being consumed by that well. But mostly, I am free of that all-encompassing darkness. There is light now. And the roar of the darkness is no more. There is beauty and peace, and rest in the light.

Just as a desperate person who has been saved does, I cling to my life-saver. He rescued me from the clutches of death. I am saved. I have a life – a wonderful life to lead.

Now, as my panting and fear subside, I look upon this person who rescued me. He has no discernable face. There is only a glow of the light that he is. I’m still held in his arms - like a babe being comforted. He soothes away my sobbing. He assures me that everything is going to be alright, as he strokes my hair and rocks me.

He is the Lord Jesus Christ. He has come to save me. He has come to offer me the promise of a glorious life that I have yet to lead . . . in His service. He reached out to me when nobody else could. He is the only one who even knew I was in that well.

I continue to cling to my Savior. He is guiding me in ways that I still do not yet know, along unfamiliar paths. But He is providing me light upon those paths (Isaiah 42:16). I ask Him daily, “Show me your ways, O Lord, teach me your paths; guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long!” (Psalm 25: 4,5).

One cannot know, until they are placed in that situation of life or death, just how truly valuable life really is. Not just feeling a physical death, but a mental, emotional, spiritual death. Feeling as if the very lifeblood of you is being shrouded and overcome by darkness.

There is such sincere, overwhelming gratitude when one is saved from the brink of the darkness. I have that gratitude. I will live the remainder of my life trying to pay back my rescuer – even if the only way I can do that is to touch others for Him, and hopefully throw them a life line and a flashlight. Even a flickering candle is blinding when one is being consumed by that darkness. I can offer living proof that there is light out of the darkness. So I will indeed lead a life in His service. To simply help just one other person from this darkness serves Him so that He can save them as He did me. And I will trust in His promise, “For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” (Jeremiah 29:11). This is one of my favorite Scriptures. I only wish I had had this to lean on so I would never have fallen into that well. But, had I not been there, I would not be here now.

Neil Anderson stated this perfectly, “Never doubt in the darkness what God has clearly shown you in the light.” God indeed showed me something in the light – the light that is Jesus. These following Scriptures truly reflect that light of Jesus for me.

Isaiah 50:10 – Let him who walks in darkness, who has no light, trust in the name of the Lord and rely on his God.

1 John 1:5 – God is light. In Him there is no darkness at all.

John 8:12 – Jesus . . said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” This particular Scripture holds two promises for me: 1) I have light, and since Jesus is the light, then I have Him; and, 2) I have life. I will not succumb to the deafening darkness again. I will have future troubles, but Jesus overcame the world so that He can help me to overcome my troubles (John 16:33).

Look closely. Is anyone in a well of their own that maybe everyone’s too busy to see? Once you’ve been there yourself, you can usually see it in others. Life-altering experiences are few, but they are just that: life-altering. You can never, ever be the same after having one. We must remain in the Word and continue to seek Jesus in order that He remain in us. We must show ourselves to be His disciples in bearing much fruit to the Father’s glory (John 15:8). We must distribute that light that’s given us by living Matthew 5:16 – Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. Jesus came into this world as our light so that no one who believes in Him will stay in darkness (John 12:46). I know within the very depths of my being, just as Jesus promised the disciples upon the Great Commission, in saying, “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:20).

Pray that the Lord reveal lost, hurting souls to you so that you can serve as an instrument for Him in reaching them. Never tire in His service, for He will provide you the grace to do His work. I have come from a deep pit (my well) to where I can now say, “It is well with my soul.” And I strive to hear my Master say upon Judgment Day, “Well done my good & faithful servant” (Matthew 25:21). I have come from a negative connotation (the pit of a well), to the positive, life-sustaining wellness of the Lord Jesus. Two totally different meanings coming from one word.

Author’s Note: Almost one year, to the day, after having written this piece, I was reading my Bible during some devotional time I was able to sneak in during the middle of the day. I found the following passages, which immediately reminded me of “Well”. The Psalmist, David, was where I was. So, upon my second reading of His Word, after a full year of growth in His Word, I found these Scriptures. This simply illustrates to me that God knows exactly where we are in life, even before we are formed in the womb (Jeremiah 1:5a). And He provides us the guidance of His Word to show us the way through life. All we need do is look.

Psalm 18:5,6,16,19,28 – The cords of the grave coiled around me; the snares of death confronted me. In my distress I called to the Lord; I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears. He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of the deep waters. He brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me because he delighted in me. You, O Lord, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light.

Psalm 40:2 – He lifted me out of the slimy pit out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.

May God’s grace and peace be with you always. Don’t turn from His guidance. He only wants the best for you (John 10:10b).

Photo credit - Ivo Berg (Crazy Ivory) through Getty Images

WOW Moment!

The Lord truly amazes me in ways He reaches out to reveal something to me that I totally missed....this time, literally, just the day before. When I read my Bible, I make a little 'tick-mark' in the margin of the page where I leave off. Well, I went to read the other day, starting with Nehemiah 2. So, God revealed SO much! WOW - how exciting!!!

Nehemiah 2:2 - so the king asked me, “Why does your face look so sad when you are not ill? This can be nothing but sadness of heart,” followed by 2:4 "Then I prayed to the God of heaven, and I answered the king,", followed by 2:6c "It pleased the king to send me; so I set a time."

See that? Nehemiah prayed first, and then the king was pleased & responded according to what God put on his heart! (caring king to notice & ask why he was sad in the first place, tho'!)

And then in 2:12 - "I had not told anyone what my God had put in my heart to do for Jerusalem".

It just demonstrates how much we can leave everything alone & trust everything to God, in silence...not shouting from the rooftops, but in trusting reverence simply leaving it with the Lord! But I was, obviously, reminded of Matthew 6:33 - But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

He makes the way!

Now, why this is my WOW moment....when I actually looked more closely....I had a tick-mark at Nehemiah 3, not 2. I was supposed to start at Nehemiah 3 that day. But the amazing thing is....I had just read Nehemiah 2 the day before & totally missed all that I just told you. There wasn't a single thing underlined in Nehemiah 2, not one. There is now, tho'! ;o}

I just figured...well, someone other than me needs to see/know this. Thus, this post is God's gift to you, through me! Thanks, Lord! I love when You use me to extend Your loving messages to the hearts of those needing to know it! I know You'll direct them here to read this.

Happy w/e my friends ~ Merana


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Hidden Treasure #3

Ok, so Hidden Treasure #3 continues my "series" (I use that term oh-so-loosely!) of Hidden Treasures in the Bible. You know....the last one being in S-E-P-T-E-M-B-E-R??!! (I'm SOOOOO bad! But hey, I said then that I had more to follow, so work with me here!)

Anyway....

King Nebuchadnezzar was a walking contradiction...rather like a fish out of water flopping around on the dock every which way. In Daniel 2:47 he says, "Sure your God is the God of gods..." only to have forgotten by Daniel 3:15c "then what God will be able to rescue you from my hand?"

then....

Daniel 3:28 “Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who has sent his angel and rescued his servants! They trusted in him and defied the king’s command and were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God. ²⁹ Therefore I decree that the people of any nation or language who say anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego be cut into pieces and their houses be turned into piles of rubble, for no other god can save in this way.”

then...

Daniel 4:2 "It is my pleasure to tell you about the miraculous signs and wonders that the Most High God has performed for me."

then...

Daniel 4:8 "after the name of my god"

to....

Daniel 4:9 "...I know the spirit of the holy gods is in you."


Makes ya just want to scream at him, "Well, which is it? The Most Holy God? My god? The gods? What?"

'Ol Nebbie was warned in his dream, rightfully interpreted by Daniel. He could have, should have, changed his ways, but he didn't. His ego...no, his delusion reached great levels to say in Daniel 4:30 "Is it not...that I have built...by my mighty power & for the glory of my majesty.."

But it was all an illusion. Just as we, too, have them. We get lost in the illusion of people, places, things. Many sport stars & celebrities fit here with the mistake that "no one can touch me. I can do whatever I please & no one can touch me." (ok, granted, society tolerates far too much from these egotistical so-&-so's, but....). But we get wrapped up in thinking that our worth is wrapped up in our cars, our homes, our clothing, or our possessions. Your "image", the way you present yourself to the world becomes increasingly important to you. But cars can be damaged, twisted, totalled. Homes can be flooded, struck by lightning, flooded, blown away by a tornado, destroyed. Clothing...well, it can be ripped or torn...or (gasp) someone else wear the same thing on the same day. The point is, possessions can be taken away in one swoop!

And let me say that sadly I've seen people treat their children in this image illusion. The child does something and instead of saying, "What were you thinking? Don't you know you or someone else could have been hurt? Or the damage that could have been done?" from a caring, but stern response, the parent says "How could you do this to me?" As tho' their image is ruined. To those people I would say "Maybe they did it just to get some attention from you!" I have always said that I think people lash out and do stupid things because in their mind, negative attention is better than no attention. It's a cry for help...to be truly loved & cared for.

We need to remember these hidden treasures:

Jonah 2:8 - "Those who cling to worthless idols turn away from God's love for them."
Daniel 4:37b - And those who walk in pride he is able to humble.

Re-read Daniel. Ol' King Nebbie sure got humbled!

Always remember - God gave us [this] book so we would know how to live today with tomorrow in mind. (Ray Stedman)

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No resolutions

I've decided this year to not make any resolutions. This year, I plan something totally different. This year, I lift all my weaknesses, all my hopes, all my faults, all my negatives, all my dreams, all my....well, just all my everything to the Lord. I can't do anything without Him anyway, so why even try? Why not just give everything to the One who will walk me through whatever I face? 'Nuff said!

So, as I sit here listening to my son have a meltdown at the XBox (another one of those "why bother" moments b/c they always get over it....I think it's a "guy thing" b/c I would have just said 'heck with it' a LOOOOOONG time ago!)....where was I? Oh yes, so as I sit here typing this & listening to my son & chase the dog away from chewing on EVERYthing (yes, he's destroyed a cell phone [talk about embarrassing "my dog ate it" when I called the insurance company], a tv remote, apparently loves the taste of beer...the list goes on!)...I think about how I'm anxious for the boys to go to their dad's for the w/e. And then I feel guilty...what kind of mother am I? I think that's another thing I'll be working on with God for the new year. But then He reminded me of a family here in town. Their boys were on the way home from our local high school for Christmas break on a windy road, too fast. Had an accident & the 14 year old died on the scene. They were coming home. Excited. Anticipating the holidays. Hoping for snow. Then in a moment, it's ALL gone. ALL. Life as they knew it is OVER. My heart still breaks for them. I'm sure they'd LOVE to listen to him yell at his XBox. I cry when I think of that & just listen to mine. Well, okay, and correct him & tell him to stop. I AM a Mom afterall ;o} ! Thanks for the reminder, Lord. And please be with that family & all the friends Reed leaves behind.

I pray God's grace in your lives this coming year, dear BB's.

In Christ's abiding love ~ Merana

SERIOUSLY???!!!

Oh my GOSH!!!! Seriously....I haven't been on here since October 24? I mean, I KNEW it had been far too long, but I've missed THAT much!?! No wonder I've been feeling an enormous sense of withdrawal!

I know everyone is so busy at this time of year, but mine has been C-R-A-Z-Y! In addition to preparing for BOTH of my kids' birthdays, I've also been busy with Halloween sleepover, regular sleepovers, regular everyday life of a single parent, an enormous amount of things to do at work to where I can't even get on to read some posts, we remodeled the office at work (paint, carpet...involving moving everything out & back in again), getting Christmas gifts, and {smiles} now we've added to our family. We haven't had pets for about 5 years & I've never owned a dog in my life. So there's been a lot of adjusting & learning going on. Below, let me introduce you to Batman (the cat) & Flash (the dog). Needless to say, it's been an INTERESTING 6 weeks or so in my life. FAAAAAR too busy for my taste, but this w/e I'm finally able to slow it down a notch or two & breathe.

So, I wanted to let you all know that I've missed you terribly....(and yes, hope you've missed me as well!)....and I pray for those of you I know have special things going on in your lives for which you could use prayer warriors. I may not have been able to read your posts, but you've been in my heart!

I hope everyone's Thanksgiving was blessed & that this most holy season is sacred and precious for each of you!

Hugs & love ~ Merana