"But let him ask in faith, with no doubting,

for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea

that is driven and tossed by the wind." James 1:6

So here I am...still holding fast. I may have struggled to keep my grip but I'm still holding on as tightly as I can... Loving this new song by Downhere -- check out all of their music if you get a chance!

Hope your days are blessed with truth, grace and love...don't lose faith...keep your grip tight and hold fast.

"Sometimes your calling, comes in dream

Sometimes in comes in the Spirit's breeze,

You reach for the deepest part of me,

And call out for the things of eternity.



But I'm a man, of dust and stains,

You move in me, so I can say,



Here I am, Lord send me,

All of my life, I make an offering,

Here I am, Lord send me,

Somehow my story, is part of your plan,

Here I am



When setbacks and failures, and upset plans,

Test my faith and leave me with empty hands,

Are you not the closest when it's hardest to stand?

I know that you will finish what you began.



These broken parts you redeem,

Become the song, that I can sing



Overwhelmed by the thought of my weakness,

And the fear that I'll fail you in the end,

In this mess, I'm just one of the pieces,

I can't put this together but you can."

Here I Am by Downhere

Hold Fast

This past Saturday and Sunday were the second chance I had to sit at God’s feet for a full 24-hours. Sound crazy? Perhaps… {I'll address the answer to that question at another time...} But after having an emotionally and physically trying day on Friday, it was all I wanted...to go to Him...to run to Him. I didn’t care if I made it the full 24-hours, I didn’t care if he revealed anything life changing to me, I didn’t care if he healed me, I didn’t care if he answered my prayers, I just simply went because I desired Him. I loved Him. I wanted His presence.

The first words that hit me Saturday morning before leaving for the church were "Hold fast"...words from a song that I actually normally dislike...but the words jumped out at me hard...and looking back at my time in the "Upper Room" it was one of the biggest (of many) lessons learned over the weekend. I could write for hours about the lessons learned during my time there…and what I’m still experiencing now…but I'll save those for later as well...

The morning and afternoon hours were amazing and filled with constant prayer for others, myself, journaling, time in scripture…and then came the first wall…the wall in my head where the distractions start to build up and keep my connection with God distant. Then the next wall came, the wall that always comes after the one in the mind, the emotional wall on my heart. Then the wall of fatigue hit.

I began to wonder what the point was of me really being there. Did God really want me there if my thoughts were distracted? If my heart was somewhere else? If I was a complete mess inside? But the thought of going home and being away from his strong presence made me feel horrible...I couldn’t leave Him. So, instead I just kept praying God please speak to me, please tell me that You desire me to still be here, that I am here for a reason. I held fast. And God was holding fast to me…

When the light came in the morning, in the last hour, I prayed with Bethany. And when she paused to find scripture, there it was. Words from scripture that He had given me almost two years ago. Words that were so direct from Him because He is the only one who knows what they mean to me in my heart. I broke inside…in joy, in my love for Him, in gratitude for His love for me…God was telling me that he had delighted in me being there with Him, distracted mess or not.

Had I left when I felt distracted, frustrated, at a loss...had I given up on myself...had I just left God's presence and sought comfort in my own home, gone to bed... I would have walked away from God and his grace and what the words, joy and revelations He had for me not only at that time but today…I held fast and His love didn’t fail me.

When you feel you've lost the battle with yourself, if you have a distracted heart, you're an emotional mess, whatever--He wants you to admit you need him even in your messiness--He doesn't grow tired of you even if you're tired of yourself. Don't give up on Him--He won't give up on you--HOLD FAST.


"Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him; I will protect him, because he knows my name. When he calls to me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him." Psalm 91:14-15

Rest in Him

I'm going to pass on to you something we've all heard over and over that we all know…but here's the thing…do we all BELIEVE IT, myself included?

"Work is a fact of life. Burdens are inevitable. But you have a choice: either drag your workload under your own strength or put on the yoke of Christ. Jesus says, "Come." If you're weary and burdened, let Him give you rest." Joni Eareckson Tada

Spending time with God, whether in his word or prayer, isn't a burden, it's a gift to you…it's a way for Him to give you true rest. As well as a fragrant offering to God…He delights in you when you seek Him.

Instead of dragging our feet to spend time with God we should be rushing to it, shouldn't we? How many times have you said "I need a vacation" or "I need a break" in the last week, or last hour for that matter? Guess what? God can grant that to you and even did through the Sabbath that many of us, again myself included, ignore. We are the ones that walk away from the rest that He has already given us in his Son. We already have rest, we just choose to ignore it.

Go today and seek the true rest that can be found only in Him.

Be blessed today in His life-giving Word,
Kara


"Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. " Matthew 11:28-29