Posted on this category page: Spiritual Revelations from Our Awesome God

There was a particular area in our marriage that I was holding back. There was something my husband desired from me that I would not give him. I had my reasons. Really, we just disagreed. He wanted things one way, I wanted them another. But several months ago, I made a decision to surrender that area to him. I let go of my reasons and my will and gave him what he desired. I was completely amazed by the blessings that followed that decision. Our marriage began to bloom and grow in new ways.

Soon afterward, the Lord drew a parallel for me. As we sang the song "I Surrender All" in church, the Lord spoke to my heart about surrendering myself to Him. All of me. All my hopes and fears. My very life. If I could surrender it all to Him like I surrendered that area to my husband, blessing would follow. It was truly a revelation.

It is a matter of trust. My husband loves me and wants what's best for me. When I was willing to believe that and trust him, blessing followed. The Lord loves us and wants what's best for us. When we hold back, he is unable to bless us. But if we will surrender ourselves to Him, then we open the door of blessing.

Posted on this category page: Spiritual Revelations from Our Awesome God

I deeply desire this one particular thing. I have prayed about it and submitted it to the Lord. He has spoken to my heart and said I could have it. I asked His direction in making this thing come about. He has given me an answer. Amazing! Incredible! Awesome! There are no words to adequately describe how miraculous this is -- that I have spoken with the Creator of the universe and not only did He speak back, but He directly answered my questions.

Why is it, then, that I am resistant to do what He has prescribed? Why am I stubbornly holding onto the things that I need to let go of? Why am I so sinful? Why can't I see the forest for the trees? Help me Lord. I need your grace every day!

Praying you will be able to see the forest for the trees,

Posted on this category page: Spiritual Revelations from Our Awesome God

I spent most of 2008 separated from my husband due to military obligations. Praise the Lord that we have finally been reuinted as a family! The children and I were able to move to Alabama in December to be with hubby. We are ecstatic!

I have recently learned something from this experience. I spent about a month cleaning out and packing up our home before hubby flew to Michigan to get us. We then spent a couple weeks getting settled in our new home. During this moving process, I let my devotion time slide. It was a rare occasion that I spent any time alone with the Lord or reading His word. In the last week or so I've been struggling with issues of faith: Does God really hear me? Do I really hear Him? Will He still perform miracles today? Will He still heal? etc. I KNOW the answer to these questions is yes. So many times I have had my prayers answered directly, I have heard the voice of the Lord, I have felt His healing touch, I have seen Him perform miracles. Why was I questioning Him? When I prayed about this, the Lord drew a parellel for me.

My husband and I have been married for 15 years and we began dating 20 years ago. We have always been faithful to each other and have always been honest with each other. The Lord has blessed us with open and honest communication. We have confessed temptations and shortcomings to one another very freely. Yet, during our recent military separation we found ourselves doubting each other's faithfulness. We had dreams about catching one another in an affair. We questioned each other about simple conversations we'd had with members of the opposite sex. We each asked the other at some point during the year if we had "cheated." Of course, neither of us had, but I believe it was the most we'd ever doubted in the duration of our 20 year relationship.

The Lord showed me that the key to a strong and trusting relationship is positively interacting with each other every day! But it's more than just "talking." My husband and I talked every day on the phone. But we only saw each other for a few days every other month. We were lacking physical closeness. Time spent together just the two of us. Marital intimacy, yes. But also just being near each other, sitting on the couch together watching a movie, eating a meal together, going to church together, sleeping in the same bed. Not having these things caused us to doubt one another. We were still married. We were still faithful. But we had no way of knowing that the other was.

In the same way, not spending time alone with God every day in devotion caused me to doubt Him. I need that daily time alone with Him. I need that time to physically separate myself from everyone and everything else in my life and just be with God. I need to praise Him, pray to Him, read His word, ask Him to teach me from His word, and listen for Him to speak to my heart. Lord, help me to be faithful to my devotion time! Thank you for continually teaching me and growing me.

If necessary, make a new committment to your devotion time starting today! God bless you!

Posted on this category page: Spiritual Revelations from Our Awesome God

"Instead, you ought to say, 'If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that.' As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil." ~James 4:15-16 NIV

All of our plans are to be submitted to the Lord's will. We don't know what tomorrow will bring. We are to trust the Lord with our future. If we do not, we boast in our own plans. And scripture says this is sin!

8 years ago, my husband and I signed a 30-year mortgage. We bought our first home and never intended to move again. Last week my husband said to me, "How bold is that? We declared to the Lord that we planned to stay in one location for the rest of our lives. We were not opening ourselves up to His will." We then discussed the probability of renting homes for the rest of our lives so we will have the ability to follow the leading of the Lord without the ball-and-chain of a home mortgage holding us in one location.

We have also taken to using the phrases, "If the Lord wills," "Lord willing," and "God willing" when we discuss our plans with one another. I have also adopted the practice of signing my text messages "dv" which stands for "Deo Valente" meaning, "Lord willing."

Lord willing, my husband will travel home from Alabama next week. And, Lord willing, we'll be moving back down there with him to live in a rental home for at least a year. After that, we have no idea what the Lord has in store for us, but we're excited to follow His lead!

dv

Posted on this category page: Spiritual Revelations from Our Awesome God

Is the headcovering mentioned by Paul in I Cor 11 for today? Or was it a "cultural" thing for Paul's time only? I believe it is for all-time. I'd like to write more on this, but I'll just briefly go into this tonight before I tuck my little ones in bed.

I've been wearing a headcovering for several months, more often than not. I felt drawn to do it, but really wasn't convinced that it was necessary. When the Lord challenged me with the question, "What's your source?" while I was recovering in the hospital, this was one of the things that I felt convicted about. Why was I wearing a headcovering? I wasn't sure. So I stopped wearing one for a few weeks.

The other morning I woke up thinking about it. As I lay in bed, I prayed, "Lord, what should I do about this? I don't know if I should wear a headcovering or not." The Lord spoke to my heart to read the scriptures "afresh," as if I was reading them for the first time. I read I Cor 11 again and this is what I understand it to say:

Woman was created for the man. She is the glory of man. Therefore she is to have a symbol of authority on her head. It is not her hair. Her hair is her glory. Human nature teaches us this. A woman's long hair is sensuous and beautiful. Human nature also teaches us that it is shameful for a woman to have her head bald. Therefore, she should wear a covering, like a veil, upon her head to cover her glory (her hair) and man's glory (herself) in the presence of God and the angels (when praying or prophesying). Since the Bible also teaches us to "pray without ceasing" (I Thess 5:17), I believe the headcovering is to be worn all day. Indeed, we often stop throughout our day to pray for a need that comes to our attention, to pray over our meals, to pray for a skinned knee or a bellyache, etc.

Prophecying doesn't happen daily around here, but when it does happen (which is another topic I'd like to write about in the future) it is unpredictable. How are we to know when the Lord is going to give a Word? I don't think Paul intended a woman to have a headcovering "on the ready" just in case a Word comes to mind, then hurry up and put it on before she opens her mouth to speak.

In addition, the second half of this chapter speaks of communion and is oft quoted and applied in our modern churches. I haven't heard this portion written off as cultural, for Paul's time only. How can we divide a chapter in half and follow one part and not the other? I fear that many Christians are confused. They've been taught to reason away the teachings and commandments of the Bible that are uncomfortable.

Lord, help us not to be proud, legalistic, or judgemental like the Pharisees; rather, give us the boldness to be humbly obedient to your word. Amen.

Posted on this category page: Spiritual Revelations from Our Awesome God

Pastor Loren Covarrubius:

Why was the devil in the garden? Why were there giants in the Promised Land? Because God has desired to have children who would overcome and take dominion. It is a matter of maturity.

Posted on this category page: Spiritual Revelations from Our Awesome God

When we've got nothing left to muster up -- no encouraging thoughts, no physical energy, no spiritual wisdom -- then we have reached a place called "Faith." It is then that we can truly surrender ourselves and lean on the everlasting arms of Jesus.

~ Layla

Posted on this category page: Spiritual Revelations from Our Awesome God

Sometimes you're so broken all you can do is the next thing.

Sometimes you're so broken all you can do is call on the Name of Jesus.

And that is enough.

~ Layla