Author: Justine

A Day In The Battle

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Waking with energy and no pain I am excited for church. It should be good I have almost 5 hours sleep!

Amazingly, I’m out the door early, but the vehicle is trying to tell me something.

I clicked OK a few times and say, “God Keep everyone safe on the road!

Arriving early, I feel excited to worship and see people. I am blessed.

When I start the vehicle to drive home the warnings were going off again. Mostly what I saw was the crash protection not working. I have driven for 45 years without crash protection. I’m fine.

My husband is getting all the alerts on his phone and calls. The drive-train had an issue. The alert didn’t leave the screen. What am I suppose to do? I’m 15 miles from home?

I stop at Aldies, it shouldn’t cause a problem.

Returning to the vehicle with food I ask, “God can you have someone come take my cart? Pain arrived.”

Within a few steps of returning my cart, a man sticks his hand out his window with a quarter. It takes me a minute to understand.  He wants my cart.

“Thank You Jesus!”

“Before he left his vehicle he asked,  “Are you a God person?

“Yes.” That is an unexpected question.

We talk for a few minutes, and he becomes the first person to take my business card!

I pray, “God Bless this man and his wife with Peace.”

I start home praying, “God Keep everyone safe on the roads and get me home safe!”

Arriving home, I wonder if it is just a computer problem because the car felt fine.  Whatever the problem, we are hoping the the warranty covers.

“Jesus let this be like the water pipe braking that took time and energy but it didn’t cost us anything. Do not let it be like the oven we have paid for twice and it still isn’t working. Help Jesus! Help!”

God Is Good!

The Chosen

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Have you heard of this TV program? They are taping the forth season at this time and I am waiting for it.

I first heard of it from Jerry Jenkins in his writing guild. His son, Dallas Jenkins was chosen by God to tell the story of Jesus through those who knew Him on earth.

The first time I saw his work was on Facebook, the short film of “The Shepherd.” When I saw it I cried and cried! I wanted to invest but we were out of a job at that time.

Jerry gave the information for the first four episodes and the first night I couldn’t log on, but I had access later and I watched them over and over.

This is the Jesus I Know!

The Jesus Who has taken me through all of everything and meets me where I am at. He knows when I am ready to grow and face the memories I protected myself from.

I do watch some of The Chosen nightly. Some nights it takes away my pain, and other times it just clears my mind of garbage. This program has been teaching me a better way to respond to situations.

If you haven’t checked it out I am begging you to! Look on your phone for “The Chosen App” and start watching for free! Let it change your life like it has changed mine.

God Is So Very Good.

Identity-even Jesus Needed

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 Jesus stayed three days in the temple when He was 12 years old. He listened and asked questions of the teachers, attaining information not available at home.

He needed to search the scriptures to know His Heavenly Father just as we need to do.

At His baptism The Holy Spirit rested upon Him and His Dad publicly announce, “You are My Son the Beloved; in You I have found My Delight.”

After He was filled with Holy Spirit and Knew Who He Was, Jesus was ready to fast 40 days in the desert and face the devil questioning Him, “If You are The Son of God?”

Jesus was filled up with everything He needed to stand firm.

My earthly fathers didn’t fill up my Love tank but God has done this. As I have learned of His LOVE for me and taken it into my soul then I have been able to stand up for what is True and Good and Acceptable, but when I was only partly filled I found myself backing down.

How does a person get filled up with the LOVE of GOD? Spend time with Him in His Word and prayer. Just talking about your day and asking Him about His day. Ask a question and listen for the answer.

He has answered all of my questions, I believe. Some of my answers arrived immediately but one came 30 years later. It was so interesting, I was eating breakfast and God said, “Yes.”

It was all I needed I knew what He was referring to. Why did He wait for so long? Maybe I wasn’t in the place to hear it before.

God is Good!

Pauline Prayer 2

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The prayer of our love abounding in real knowledge and discernment.

Philippians 1:9-10, 11

And this I pray, that our love will abound in real knowledge and all discernment,

How many people think of abounding in LOVE? And what do knowledge and discernment have to do with LOVE? Things to ponder.

Would having real knowledge and discernment expose the lie of twisted truth that pops into my mind?

so that each of us may approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ;

Is God telling us that we cannot approve excellence without LOVE? Is the reason we are suppose to walk in LOVE to be sincere and blameless? Does that mean no shame or guilt?

having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

I know walking in The Righteousness of God in Jesus has transformed my life completely.

How will LOVE that leads us to BE SINCERE AND BLAMELESS change my life?

Pauline Prayer 1

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Philippians 1:9-10, 11

And this I pray, that our love will abound in real knowledge and discernment, so that each of us may approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ;

having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

I notice, the fruit of righteousness is all through the New Testament. The only way to KNOW it is to receive the gift through through Jesus Christ. It has nothing to do with us except to receive the gift and believe it.

It took 15 years to really make His righteousness mine. I had such a shame countenance it took a lot of Word (reading my Bible) to wash my thoughts and transform me in my inmost being.

I knew it was mine when I stopped confessing that I am a sinner in church. My words changed in many places.

I know I am born again in the righteousness of God.

I watched my response to put down’s and rejections change. Self condemnation disappeared.

A New Found Confidence to speak up and be heard appeared and took me by surprise. Now  I am learning when to speak up and when to keep my mouth shut for Wisdom sake.

God Is Good!

Inheritance

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Romans 14:17 The kingdom of God is not eating or drinking but Righteousness, Peace, and Joy in the Holy Spirit.

For most of my life I went to church but didn’t understand anything about walking in the Power of God and His Righteousness.

In my 20’s God was asking me to spend more time with Him, but I talked with a friend for  hours every day I couldn’t give it up.

The next thing I knew we were moving 3000 miles away. God made a way for me to spend more time with Him. Living in Florida I found Joyce Meyer on TBN an she helped me grow in my faith.

The first thing she taught me was the power of forgiveness and I caught that quickly but righteousness of God took 20 years for me to make it mine.

Walking in the righteousness of God is the single most important thing that changed my life.

This is what I used to fight the self defeating thoughts that plagued my mind daily.

Who knows if I was able to give up talking for a few hours a day maybe God could have set me free from the self torture 20 years earlier. How would that have changed my life for the better.

I am thankful that God kept pursuing me.

Hosea 4:6  My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge

Proverbs 4:5-8  acquire  Wisdom and get Understanding and prize them

God Is So Very Good!

Adoption Has Full Rights

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How many of us know when we are adopted we gain full rights to the family you are adopted into? What does that mean in our daily lives?

My brother, sister, and I  were adopted by the man my mom married.  I remember the judge asking, “Do you want to be adopted?”

Did the judge tell us we have full rights as a child of the family? I have no idea, but I know that when Dad died we three received the same inheritance as the two natural children.

My husband and I adopted our daughter, I remember our judge being very stern when he said, “Do you understand this child has equal rights if you have natural children?”

I have also heard that in ancient Greece if you adopted a child you could not give them up. You could give up your natural child but not one that you adopted. That was for life.

Many people who have received Jesus as their savior don’t realize that it comes with the Holy Spirit which testifies our adoption as sons. (sons= mankind= daughters of God.)

Galatians 4:4-7

God sent His son, born of a woman under the Law, that He might redeem those under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. And because we are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying “Abba, Father!”

Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son and if a son, then an heir through God.

Romans 8:14-18

For all who are being led by the Spirit of God these are sons of God. For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by where we cry out “Abba Father!”

The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God, and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him in order that we may also be glorified with Him.

Just hearing we are adopted doesn’t change much, but when we realize we are not orphans, (Psalm 27:10 says God takes us in), and we meditate on it, our lives will change from the inside out.

I know this! God Bless you all with the Joy of The LORD! Amen!

God Is Good!

Rich Mullins

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Rich was someone I had not heard about until after he died. We saw the Ragamuffin band in concert and I bought all the CD’s we could find.

As technology keeps changing and music is downloaded instead of listening to CD’s his music is lost in piles.

The Good thing about YouTube is they send random things and this last week they sent clips of Rich Mullins reminding us of how we love his music. We have been bingeing his life and music.

Both, my husband and I have seen similarities in my personality and his. I am the same person everywhere I go. There is no fake, all the good and bad are spoken of equally.

In the past, I have spoken of faults and brokenness quite regularly upon first meeting someone. Something inside had me believing people cannot be friends if they can’t handle my past.

These last few years I have been growing and learning to listen instead of talking to fill the void. Hopefully I have been growing in Jesus producing good fruit!

I wonder how Rich would have changed if he had kept living, something we cannot know but I will find his music and put it on my phone.

God Is Very Good.

The God Set Up

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2013 Facebook memory

My whole life I have fallen asleep at 10 P.M., (even at sleepovers), and wake at 6 with the sun.

Turning 50 my body started to wake after midnight and stay awake for hours.

Falling asleep became a goal but often I am still awake in bed until 5 A.M., one day I try my mom’s suggestion, drinking Hot Chocolate. It worked once.

Eventually I decided to follow wisdom and work with my body instead of fight it.

Wisdom said, “Do not go to bed before midnight, no matter how tired.” If I need to lay down and take a short nap, I do. Then I wake up and accomplish something.

I believe it is a God setup, making me comfortable typing in the dark to write the book!

It has been years in the making. But God Knows how to time things so it is an easy transition.

First I become comfortable with being awake and trusting God to give me the energy for the day no matter what time I fall asleep.

Choosing Peace, I take the time to listen to podcast teachings and praying for people.

When this becomes a nightly occurrence, I decide to do clean house instead of lay in bed.

About 18 months ago I started typing on my computer daily, learning my scrivener program, getting better at typing, and strengthening the muscles that help me sit at the computer.

Today, I have put a blog post out every day for 21 days. This process has turned my writing a story from day or weeks into one day. Sitting and typing for hours using those muscles even more.

This is the last step before writing that book making me strong enough to type all the hours it will take. This has been a 10 year process.

I believe God is setting up a purpose for everyone. He has prepared a purpose before the foundation of the world.

God Is Good!

Going Against the Odds

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Facebook post 2018

My trusted doctor left, I started with a new doctor.

She said, “You need to realize your limitations, you have scoliosis and should not help your daughter move or work in your garden!”

I said, “You want me to lay on the couch and watch TV?”

I REJECTED WHAT SHE SAID!

I am so very glad no one ever told me I couldn’t! 

I might have believed them!

I have Reached for the IMPOSSIBLE and Fought to have My best Life!

In 2015 my mom said,  “You are no longer handicapped.” So Thankful Mom never spoke handicapped out loud in my presence.

Being handicapped never crossed my mind. I just kept fighting my whole life to be strong and keep going no matter what!

We had ice skating lessons the whole time I wore a brace, continuing after surgery with a body cast. Mom said, “I cannot watch, afraid of a fall.”

Taking swimming lessons after surgery was easy.  I could do every stroke, even the butterfly, but flipping at the end of the lane was the one thing I didn’t try. There are some limits I recognize.

The only thing my parents said NO to was going to Mexico with the Spanish club. “You can’t even find your way home from a game in town, how will you find your way in Mexico?” This had more to do with dyslexic issues that where not yet diagnosed.

I wonder what my new doctor would think if she knew the year after I had the spinal fusion inserting the Harrington rod, I chose gymnastic for my gym class! The amazing trick to pass the class was using my elbows to be the round for my back so I could do a forward roll. The rest was easy.

My surgeon did say no horseback riding, motorcycle riding, or sky diving.

The horseback riding bothered me. I love horses. Sky diving was on my mind for some reason, but motorcycle riding was lost. I never had any desire -until boys entered the picture. They came with bikes and this is where my life became a bit more interesting.

I am Thankful for miracles and fight. Everything was needed to help me survive the accident. That is another story!