You Invite Me In...
There is a current theme in my life right now.
Invited.......
in Hebrew is Qara, meaning: called out.....calling to a specific task, sometimes it means to call out loudly in order to get somebodies attention, to announce or proclaim, to summon.
I get a lot of emails with questions about what gets me excited about studying the word or serving the Lord. My spiritual gifts, for this current season of life, are discipleship, wisdom, and teaching.....so when you put all that together and then ask what gets me excited about God......I AM LIKE WHERE DO I EVEN BEGIN! But since a very small child I have had a tender heart to people who become believers or returning home to Father after walking away. Both make my heart beat a million miles an hour and the tears to fall. I must say that nothing gets me more on fire for the Lord than watching someone return and refuse to let go of God till He changes everything about them for His glory. I can't even put it into words what happens to me both body and soul when I come into contact with that person. I become a prayer machine like nobodies business and just call on all scripture that I can get my hands on and sing and clap for the Lord. Discipleship is what I think the Lord has called me to. Not just getting somebody in the door but praying them through the growth periods, the dry seasons, and just pouring into them everything that I know about Father and what He has done in my own life.
People desiring to know God more is what makes me excited about the Word of God. That is where my heart strings are complete connected. It is what makes me feel the MOST ALIVE! Total Truth!
So a weekend ago I was "invited" to spend a weekend with the Lord. He called me out...got my attention so that I would turn away from where I was headed....and invited me in to be refreshed by Him alone. Isaiah 1:18-20 says it best I think.....
An Invitation from the LORD
to come and talk it over.
Your sins are scarlet red,
but they will be whiter
than snow or wool.
the best crops in the land
will be yours.
your enemies will kill you.
I, the LORD, have spoken.
My mind has been on the fact that God's arms are always open. No matter what my past looks like or heck, what my day looked like.......He invites us in to just be with Him. To get to know Him and to let Him operate on all our sick/dead/ or hurting areas. And because I am so discipleship oriented, my eyes are always scanning the blog world for believers fighting the good fight and making very intentional decisions to except God's invitation to come in and let Him take them on the greatest adventure.
This is Matt and Jennifer above. Darling little husband and wife. I do not know them personally but found her blog through my cousin Melissa's blog. Melissa and Jennifer are friends. At first it was just another blog to me......just chit chat about daily lives and adventures. Nothing is wrong with that, of course, but then one evening I clicked on her blog to see the New Years resolution list....."join a church" was one on the list.....and my heart immediately started to pound and I knew instantly that they would be my next prayer adventure........
That night I spent a lot of time praying for them both as a couple and individually. Asking God if He was inviting me in to intercede in prayer for them for just the night or for awhile. No answer.....so I continued to pray for them on a consistent basis because the more I read what she was writing the more God burdened my heart for them. The more I read the more I saw that her desire to be consumed by God was growing and growing. So the more I prayed.
Jennifer is doing the Esther study and this is part of a post she wrote in regards to having the character of Esther.............. just a sample so you can get to know her more.......
"When people look at me now, or when they remember me when I'm gone, I don't want to just be known for the contents in my closet, my obnoxious laugh, or my ridiculously thick hair. I want to be known for my humility, generosity, and kindness towards others. I want there to be no question as to who I serve. I want my actions to inspire others to improve themselves. I want the way I treat my husband to speak volumes. I don't want him to ever question if I love him or not. I want the way I treat my husband to inspire other women to improve the way they treat theirs. I want my enemies to wonder what is wrong with me when I treat them with the same respect and kindness I show my best friend. I want my nephews to see a patient aunt when they are screaming and pitching a fit. When my friends confide in me with their relationship, financial, or emotional problems, I want them to hear advice from a Godly woman. "
Amen right!!!!!!!! The more she writes the more change I see in what she writes about. You ask me what gets me excited about God...........this does. Seeing His children seek Him and take Him up on His personal invitation to the BEST LIFE PARTY we will ever be apart of. When I see ladies actively pursuing God my heart explodes and I fall in Love with Father all over again!
This idea of being invited in to be cleansed, purified and made holy has consumed my every thought this past week. The verse above is right.....we are covered in scarlet red sin and He says "come on in, its been awhile. Lets talk some things over and then let me make you clean". Oh I love Him so and I love what He is doing in this young couple. This past weekend Jennifer wrote the most beautiful post about her relationship with her husband. Now, I have several others that I knew God wanted me to write about....and I will in the future......but her post was so covered with God's fragrance that I had to share it first. The minute I started reading it I knew that she had not written it but that God had. I know Him very well when it comes to Him writing through us.....I can see Him a mile away every time. I knew that He fully intended for me to write about Matt and Jennifer first because He wanted their story to be shared to a whole lot of people that will be encouraged....... so this is what was written.....enjoy.
"This Valentine's Day was the most meaningful out of the 7 we've had together. Not because he went overboard and spent tons of money, or made reservations at some fancy restaurant. Not because he bought me a beautiful, shiny diamond (although I would never complain), or took me on a shopping spree. Today was special because my gifts were 100% from the heart.
Do you realize what a handwritten love note can do to a woman?? A letter telling me not only how important I am to him, but that my faith has not only made him love me more, but has inspired him to be a more Godly man. Do you realize how that made me feel? I have chills right now as I type, remembering how I felt as I read my letter.
We are closer than ever. Our marriage is thriving more in it's 6th year than the first. We can actually say we love spending time together, regardless of what it is. One of our favorite things to do is drive around and look at houses, picturing our lives there and our children running around the yard....(yes, we totally did that today).
We laugh more than we ever have. We talk more than we ever have. We're more honest with each other than we have ever been.
And I'd be completely naive if I said God wasn't the reason why. Because I see what he's already done in us, I'm more compelled to know Him more....what else does He have in store for us? For little 'ole Matt and Jen. Who this time last year were signing divorce papers.
We have been saved. Again. Time after time. When we made huge mistakes that weren't worthy of his grace. But we were given it anyway. I'm so humbled at this point in my life, and I hope to never forget it. It's been a time of awakening, learning, truth, inspiration, and faith. They say faith is believing what you can't see. But what is it called when you see it?? When you see that God is real when you look over at your husband while we're driving down the road and he says "You look pretty today, baby." Or that one of my gifts was a plaque with a Marriage Prayer on it, vowing for us to never forget why we fell in love in the first place. That all my gifts were purchased from Lifeway??? Or that he's more patient with me. Or that his words are kinder.
Helloooo!!! I see it Lord! What is it called ??
Believing.Do you believe?
I hope today at least reminds you of how important you are. How blessed you are. How we treat others. Does our spouse know we love them? I mean really know.
.jpg)
When they look at you, can they see that you believe?"
---------------------------------------------------------------
CAN I GET AN AMEN
OR WHAT FRIENDS!!!!
if reading that did not get you totally pumped up with LOVE FOR THE LORD THEN I NEED YOU TO EMAIL ME SO I CAN PRAY FOR YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Is that not the most wonderful post. Our God is a restorer. And boy oh boy He is not ever done with us!!! AMEN AMEN. Which means that He has only wet their appetite of what He can do through and with them! He has only just begun and I ask that God continue to do a mighty work with not only them as a couple but as individual believers of the ONE AND ONLY GOD!
I know I have gone long tonight with my writing. Thank you for being patient if you even made it this far. I would like to close with a song that is in my head continuously for the last few months. "You invite Me In" by Meredith Andrews. I think it says everything that this post is trying to get at. I have listed the words below. You can also click on the word "blog" and it will let you go listen to it. If you have the time.....please listen to the words.......somebody out there needs to know that He is always there with arms open despite all the crap or running that we have done.
blog: "You Invite Me In - Meredith Andrews" .....click the "blog" link to listen to the song
I’ve been searching Wandering and hurting
Ashamed of the shape I’m in
Afraid you’ll see who I really am
But you invite me in
Doesn’t matter where I’ve been
Your arms are open wide There’s nothing left to hide
How can this be
A love so unfailing
Reached down and lifted me
From ashes to beauty
And you invite me in
Doesn’t matter where I’ve been
Your arms are open wide
There’s nothing left to hide
You invite me in
Doesn’t matter who I’ve been
Your arms are open wide
Holding me to your side
Now I am walking away from the life I once knew
And running into your grace
It covers my shame again and again
I find my life in you
You invite us in
Doesn’t matter where we’ve been
Your arms are open wide
There’s nothing left to hide
Great song really. Great story of a couple that has been away but returning to God's open arms. Doesn't matter where the heck we have been.........we still have the invitation to return home. Those that take God up on His invite are the ones that get me so EXCITED because it isn't always easy to return home. Pride takes over, satan tells us the invite has expired, or that God has already forgotten who we are......or maybe doesn't even know your name. It isn't easy leaving what the world wants for you to choose God. It sometimes results in the loss of friends, habits, burdens and comforts. But taking God up on His invitation is the single most important decision we will ever make. From ashes to beauty..........from dull to shiny...from broken to whole......from dirty to clean. He is Love. Doesn't just give Love, He is Love! And there is nothing you can do that God can't make new. Nothing!
Lord, I shall keep this prayer short. You blow me away by the grace, mercy, love, and kindness that you pour out on us. You also discipline us so that we learn to stay near to you and not go throwing ourselves in a pit every other day. You continue to just love on me. I can write this tonight from a very real place because I just accepted an invite from you last weekend and it resulted in me walking deeper in the understanding of what this life is all about. I am yours. I want to work for you and I want to be guided and directed by you. Now to You, oh Father ,who is able, I sing
......"Great is the Lord, He is holy and just,
By His power we trust in His love.
Great is the Lord, He is faithful and true,
By His mercy He proves He is love.
Great is the Lord, and worthy of glory.
Great is the Lord, and worthy of praise.
Great is the Lord, now lift up your voice,
Now lift up your voice. Great is the Lord.
Great is the Lord."
I just love you Father so much! Now go after those that do not really know you! Open up their eyes! Amen