Remembering My Personal Rescue

"I was having lots of personal turmoil and stress about my future and on September 10, 2001, despite my prideful desire to control my own life, I decided to consult a psychologist to see if he could help me with my anxiety and worry about my life and its meaning. He essentially gave me the Type A personality pep talk, and said that I just needed to let things go. So, of course, I walked out with the attitude that “I” would be able to gain control over this, I just needed to make the decision to do so. I went home and told my husband the good news, to which, I am sure he thought, “Whatever.” The next morning was September 11, 2001."

This is a quote from my personal testimony.


As I replayed these clips today, my heart was filled with so many memories. A lot has happened in my life as a result of that terrible day. There is a tendency to almost feel a bit ashamed that what was a day of death for so many in our country became a significant day of life for me. I remember feeling so helpless and hopeless as a nation during those days. And yet, at the same time I was being dug out of my own rubble by a mighty hero. Jesus Christ, Himself, had allowed a heap of brokenness, and shattered dreams, and shards of glass to pile up on me so that He could graciously and tenderly begin to rescue me. I had reached a point where I could feel the flames burning all around me and I was desperately trying to put them out with my spit! I could not accept the fact that I wasn't making any impact on the flames in front of me, and I wasn't even aware of the roaring flames coming up from behind. It wasn't until that day that I stood in my living room, terrified that the rapture had taken place, that truth was able to break through.

I had become completely buried under a heap of my own mess. My body and soul were exhausted from straining and pushing and heaving trying to remove the rubble. All I could do was barely reach a dirty, smudged, bleeding hand toward a dim glimmer of light that had been illuminated many many years earlier in my life. I had often seen the light in previous years. Sometimes it would shine brightly and draw me to itself, but as soon as I got close enough to see all the hideous trash lying around, I immediately covered it up with attempts to clean up, pull away, sweep under the sofa the dirt and the grime. I thought, "I appreciate the light that this little flame offers me, but it isn't enough so I had better light a few more fires over here and over there." Before long, things were burning out of control, walls were crumbling, debris was flying everywhere, and eventually I was buried ALIVE. So here I was; desperately stretching my hand up just hoping, praying, pleading for help. Yet, even in my desperation, my call for help was prideful, "Light, if You are there and if You are real, You gotta dig me out of here or go away and let me die." Boy, that doesn't sound like a person grateful for a hero. But you know what, a hero is a hero, no matter how the person he saves responds. He is sworn to do His duty and there is nothing that can change that.

So my gracious, loving, tender, merciful, mighty, powerful, strong, SUPERHERO, bent down in the rubble, let the dirt and the grime deter him not, and gently whispered, "Daughter, you have NEVER been without hope. I offered a sacrifice ONCE AND FOR ALL that has already cleared all of this filth. In fact, I have had my strong hand firmly clasped to your arm all these years. Yes, you have tried to pull away, you have squirmed, and yanked, and tried to pry my fingers off with your other hand, but my strength to "keep" you is far greater than your weakness to pull away."

As I reflect over the last nearly eight years, I'm reminded of many, many, many more times that my Superhero has had to pick up his shovel. In fact, this very week He removed one last heap of rubble that was piled upon me and I now stand upon ground zero, my flag firmly placed in the territory that is MINE (I know you hear me, satan!!!!!!!). I mourn the loss of the lives of my dear citizens of this great country, America, but I celebrate the gain of true life that I have found and the citizenship of royalty that I AM FIRMLY CONVINCED IS MINE!!

GOD BLESS HIS PEOPLE!!

Oops!! Father still knows their names, but I need an update!

This post is a plea for forgiveness and help to my followers. I have started a new blog about diabetes and because I was looking to freshen it up, I decided I wanted to do the same for this blog and my devotional blog, One Sacrifice For All Time. I knew that if I replaced my template I would lose some of my gadgets, but I didn't really have too many on this site. However, it never occurred to me that I would also lose my listing of all the people I had listed in need of salvation. Thankfully, my Father knows each and every one intimately, but I am asking that if you had a loved one or were burdened for someone on this blog, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE leave me a comment so that I may "re-list" them here. I will also be adding several "new" names and hope to update this blog a little more often.

Again, I am truly sorry. I re-posted my original post from January so if you are new or need a refresher on the purpose of this blog please scroll down and read that post. Thanks to all the faithful prayer warriors out there who are working alongside me to pray for the lost and dying of this world. May we see many new souls caught this year.

1000 Souls

Last year I started a page in my prayer journal titled, "1000 Souls" with the intention of listing the names of 1000 people that I know need salvation and praying for them at least weekly. I must confess at this point only consists of 54 names, but I can praise the Lord that I could remove one of them as salvation has occurred for them. PTL!!

I have decided to extend my prayer challenge to my friends in the blog world. I believe that prayer is a very misunderstood AND UNDERUTILIZED aspect of the Christian life. I by no means am an "expert" in prayer, which is exactly why I am qualified to talk about it. Jesus said that we were not to pray as the hypocrites with big words and lengthy phrases, but rather in plain speech with a humble worshipful heart; a heart that believes that the One to whom we pray both hears us and WILL ANSWER us.

"This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him." 1 John 15:14-15

My purpose as stated at the top of this blog is this: I want honor my Lord by providing a place to publicly display His Power and the Power that exists through prayer and praying for the salvation of others. I to invite you all to participate in my "1000 Souls" prayer by commenting and leaving the initials of someone you know that needs salvation. Please be sensitive to the public nature of our relationship; you might even want to sign it anonymously.

Secondly, I plan to write a post (hopefully weekly) with regard to prayer and what the Lord has taught me, and I invite you to share prayer requests each week either for yourself and/or family and friends. Feel free to leave additional names for salvation each week as well. If you really feel led to do so, I also invite you to post what the Lord has done in your life through prayer and link your post back here to my site with Mr. Linky. If you should choose to write at your blog, I ask that you invite others to participate here in the "1000 Souls" so as to magnify the ability to pray for the salvation of as many people as possible. I have no problem with renaming it "10,000 Souls" should the Lord so bless it.

<br /><br /><br /> <a href="http://1000-souls.blogspot.com/"><center><img border="0" t="1000souls-2.jpg" alt="Photobucket" src="http://i428.photobucket.com/albums/qq4/jcdisciple07/1000souls-2.jpg" target="_blank" /><br /><br /><br /><br /></center></a>

What are my motives?

I wish to speak about something that I have noticed among various websites and blogs that troubles me. It is something that I have learned about myself and hope to encourage others to consider when witnessing about Jesus to those who 'are on the outside'. Scripture gives us several opportunities to learn and understand what it means to be salt and light among a dark world. I will confess that my zeal for the Lord has many, many times been used by the devil to harm others. I have suffered many times the hand of discipline from my father over speaking from passion and zeal with little regard for the outcome. Brothers and sisters we know we have the truth, we have experienced the love of God personally and our eyes have been opened to understand the Scripture, but when we speak the truth to those on the outside it is foolishness to them.

But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised. 1 Corinthians 2:14

Am I saying that this should cause us not to speak. Of course not!

So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ. Romans 10:17

However, I am saying that we ought to always be prayerful and repentant towards God to fully examine our own hearts and our own motives. Too many times I think we get passionate about our God when someone says He is not real or doesn't exist and in our passion we seek to 'set them straight'. This my friends is a work of the devil! Satan knows all too well that we love the Lord vehemently and if he can stir in us the flames of love and zeal for the house of the Lord, he can quickly take our passionate love and turn it into a fleshly desire to be right and prove them wrong. I implore you to search your heart EACH AND EVERY TIME YOU ARE WITNESSING and ask God to reveal several things.

1. Father, what is my motive for speaking to this person concerning You? What is it that I hope to accomplish in my conversation?
2. Father, what would YOU have me say to this person concerning You? What is it that YOU HOPE TO ACCOMPLISH through this conversation?
3. Father, give me wisdom to walk according to YOUR DIRECTION with this person that no reproach or shame would come Your name.
4. Father, examine my heart fully and reveal to me any evil that is in it. Reveal to me whether I am truly concerned for the salvation of this soul or proving myself right and them wrong. Burden me with the gravity of their situation and rather than mock them let me be filled with Holy love and compassion for them.
5. Father, I know that You are unwilling that ANY should perish, but that ALL should come to repentance. I also know that only YOU can open the eyes, mind, and heart of this man or woman and I am fully trusting in YOU to guide me. Give me wisdom to know when to continue and when to walk away.

Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time. 6 Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one. Colossians 4:5-6

Many seem to believe that we can 'argue' people into heaven and 'argue' them into believing. I ask you, did that work for you? Was it the arguing that won you to Christ? While I believe it is our responsibility to speak about the condemnation that is on all who blaspheme the Holy Spirit and scorn so great a salvation, it is also our responsibility to speak the truth in love. I strongly encourage you as you get into discussions with those who do not believe to fully evaluate your motives and your final intentions behind each argument. Are you trying to prove yourself and God right or are you trying to win a lost soul back into the sheepfold?

We must demonstrate to them the same love that Christ demonstrated to us while we were yet sinners. I feel that Jude explains the mind of those who do not know God quite well in his epistle. Keep in mind, however, Jude is specifically referring to false prophets in the church in the first part of this epistle and as it is so often found in Scripture the harshest judgments are pronounced on those 'people who eat with you in your fellowship meals.' I think that this is one of the reasons we so fail in the eyes of those on the outside.

When these people eat with you in your fellowship meals commemorating the Lord’s love, they are like dangerous reefs that can shipwreck you.They are like shameless shepherds who care only for themselves. They are like clouds blowing over the land without giving any rain. They are like trees in autumn that are doubly dead, for they bear no fruit and have been pulled up by the roots. They are like wild waves of the sea, churning up the foam of their shameful deeds. They are like wandering stars, doomed forever to blackest darkness.

Enoch, who lived in the seventh generation after Adam, prophesied about these people. He said, “Listen! The Lord is coming with countless thousands of his holy ones 1 to execute judgment on the people of the world. He will convict every person of all the ungodly things they have done and for all the insults that ungodly sinners have spoken against him.”

These people are grumblers and complainers, living only to satisfy their desires. They brag loudly about themselves, and they flatter others to get what they want.

And you must show mercy to those whose faith is wavering. Rescue others by snatching them from the flames of judgment. Show mercy to still others, but do so with great caution, hating the sins that contaminate their lives.

Now all glory to God, who is able to keep you from falling away and will bring you with great joy into his glorious presence without a single fault. All glory to him who alone is God, our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord. All glory, majesty, power, and authority are his before all time, and in the present, and beyond all time! Amen. (Selected Scriptures from the book of Jude)

Finally, I just wish to call your attention to the correct behaviors and attitudes we ought to have when dealing with people. If they are believers or 'professed believers' I believe we have a prayerful responsibility to correct, reprove, and demonstrate discipline in love toward them. The Scriptures give us clear directions on the appropriate methods and measures that should be taken. It is the neglect of this type of church discipline that has led the current American church to the unsalty, tasteless, unable to preserve her society state that she is currently in. However, when dealing with those on the outside our behavior, attitudes, and motives ought to be quite different. We have to stop holding lost people accountable to the rule of God and saved people unaccountable. It is this very misinterpretation of Scripture that has give satan such a stronghold in our society.

I wrote you in my letter not to associate with immoral people; I did not at all mean with the immoral people of this world, or with the covetous and swindlers, or with idolaters, for then you would have to go out of the world. But actually, I wrote to you not to associate with any so-called brother if he is an immoral person, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or a swindler--not even to eat with such a one. For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Do you not judge those who are within the church?
But those who are outside, God judges. REMOVE THE WICKED MAN FROM AMONG YOURSELVES. 1 Corinthians 5:9-13

Please join me in praying for RYK and CW and many others who fail to recognize the authority of the One True God.