Day 286 - Embrace the Race

My boss always told me that "running is a communist plot to ruin your knees"! I laugh as I remember this memory, because I can't help but to envision him and Nancy RUNNING into the arms of a loving Lord!

God has been persuing me for YEARS!! And baby let me tell you I've been RUNNING! Today, I decided to STOP and there He was and He....THE CREATOR OF THE UNIVERSE was there to embrace ME!! Ya'll are gonna think that I've gone CRAZY PENTECOSTAL, and if that's the case SO BE IT!

I woke up before the chickens this morning, but things were different.  I was wide awake, I DIDN'T feel tired and I was LED to my Word.....WHAT?!?!?! Yes, I OPENED UP MY BIBLE!!  It all started with my Bible Study for Sunday School.  The day that I was given a week ago, hadn't touched it as I had wandered through my week in a fog.  It was all ordained but I wasn't ready....YET!  Back to today, SOMETHING was different.  I DON'T KNOW WHAT, but SOMETHING! 

I opened my Study book, "Discerning the voice of God" and the first thing to strike me was a quote "Two important prerequisites to hearing God clearly are to have an open vertical relationship with the Lord and be submitted to His plan for our lives."  Last week as I was at church, I prayed Lord, reveal yourself to me and make yourself real to me.  NEVER KNOWING what the week would hold!  As I walked through my week, HE seemed SO FAR AWAY! I was still running.....

I then read a scripture in the side-note of my study and it said "HE SPEAKS! He who has my commandments and keeps them is the one who loves me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will dosclose Myself to him. John 14:21"  Weeks ago in our morning devotional, there was a scripture that was VERY similar to this and Dr. Cohen seemed to get kind-of stuck on the importance of the scripture.  You could tell it was something that God was speaking to him about.  Well this morning, God brought it back to my remembrance and the fact that it would be in the side-note of the day I was stunned that God would send a confirmation to me, that was just shocking!

I began to read on through the rest of my lesson, and came to another quote of "Everyone who is a believer is privileged to know the love of God.  However, an invasion of His manifest presence in the life of a believer and a deeper revelation of the person of God will come to those who choose obedience as the habit of their lives."  Boy did God invade my life today.  But before today, I can't say that I've EVER exactly recognized His love.  It's been there all along, but I've looked around instead of up and let me tell you earthly love will fail, but God's love NEVER fails! Obedience is SURELY a choice.  And I decided to "choose sides" today!

I read through the rest of my devotional and nothing jumped out.  So, I was ready to skip over and end my reading there.  But God kept telling me to look up the scripture part that we're supposed to read (the part I ALWAYS skip). My thought has always been, just put the scripture in the book and save me the time of having to look it up!  But this time, I obeyed.  I opened my Bible to 2 Chronicles 20:17-22.  READ IT!!

2 Chronicles 20:17 You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you, Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the Lord will be with you.’” 18 Jehoshaphat bowed down with his face to the ground, and all the people of Judah and Jerusalem fell down in worship before the Lord. 19 Then some Levites from the Kohathites and Korahites stood up and praised the Lord, the God of Israel, with a very loud voice. 20 Early in the morning they left for the Desert of Tekoa. As they set out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Listen to me, Judah and people of Jerusalem! Have faith in the Lord your God and you will be upheld; have faith in his prophets and you will be successful.” 21 After consulting the people, Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the Lord and to praise him for the splendor of his[c] holiness as they went out at the head of the army, saying:“Give thanks to the Lord, for his love endures forever.” 22 As they began to sing and praise, the Lord set ambushes against the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir who were invading Judah, and they were defeated.

God told me this morning that I DON'T HAVE TO FIGHT THIS BATTLE! I DON'T HAVE TO CHOOSE TO BE AFRAID OR DISCOURAGED, the ONLY thing I have to do is GO where I'm supposed to go, and STAND, HAVE FAITH, and PRAISE HIM WITH ALL I AM and HE will take care of the rest!

So, KNOWING that I had to sing Mercy Seat, I was fearful that the MESS I've been this week was going to just come out in the middle of this song and that I was going to look like a fool! But I decided that God had a reason for EVERYTHING He's already orchestrated so I may as well obey.  At this point what did I have to lose other than my pride?  I stepped onto that stage and an OVERWHELMING PEACE came over me.  A DESIRE to pour myself out to MY GOD through that song, and somewhere in the midst of it, HE was pouring HIMSELF INTO ME!! I don't know how I made it through it honestly, and I can honestly say I didn't! 

The service today was about bowing before our God and allowing him to take complete control of our lives so we can fill in the gap.  And I can say I HONESTLY prayed "Lord, whatever it takes. Here I am....use me!" 

I came home and we had lunch, watched football and I laid down for the most peaceful and restful nap I think I've ever had! I woke up about 20 mins til' 6:00pm.  My spirit was overflowing at this point and I JUST HAD TO SHARE IT with a few of my very close friends.  God is Stirring my heart like no other right now.  I feel totally at peace with everything YES EVERYTHING!  No matter what... God's TRULY GOT THIS AND ALWAYS HAS! I feel like I could EXPLODE from the inside out! I feel like a glass of water that's full to the brim, and no matter HOW CAREFUL I AM, I know it's going to SPLASH OUT! I found myself LITERALLY laughing and crying at the same time today for NO GOOD REASON AT ALL, but it was actually peaceful!

A very close friend told me that God's going to fill me with His Holy Spirit, and I best not fight it.  And all I can say is "BRING IT ON GOD!" I'm running.....but this time it's in a new direction! I'm running TO God....and I'm not afraid! I will embrace this race....