Lead Me On

We are all going somewhere. Some are just beginning to venture back into the world after being confined to their homes for almost two months. Others are continuing on as they have been, a little more weary but wiser for the experience of working through a Pandemic Crisis.

It was a wonderful sight to see the home town restaurant, across the street from my work, open back up today. Even just seeing the cars in the parking lot brought a wave of relief and a knowing, in my soul, that everything is going to be alright. My spirit, however, already knew everything was going to be alright.

Why? I have a friend. He is a Shepherd, and a very good one too, that herds my friends and I around this life. He said to trust Him, that no harm would come to me or my family and I believed Him. His Name is Jesus.

Don't stop reading because I mentioned Jesus. Give me a few minutes of your time to explain. 

For many years I wandered through this life doing what I wanted to when I wanted to. It wasn't a bad life but I wasn't happy. My way led me to jail. My way led me to an unhappy marriage and divorce. No amount of having my way could lead me into a good life or fill the void in my heart I knew was there. 

Every one of us has a God shaped hole in our hearts that can only be filled by Him.

A friend once told me that he loved me. I asked him why and he said there was a piece of his heart that was missing, that he didn't know was missing until he met me. Smooth talker you may say but he made a great point. I never knew how much love I would have in my heart for my six children until I met the five. One I will meet in heaven when my time in this life is done. I could say the same about them. Meeting every one of them left me wondering how I ever lived life without them.

We are eternal creatures, born into a body, with a mind, will and emotions that will never be complete until we know Jesus. I know this because it is true. I myself have experienced it and have heard the testimony of many others confess the same.

There is no other person, no amount of money, prestige, or position that can take the place of God in our lives. All other things are idol worship. Objects of wood, gold or stone can not replace a living breathing God in our lives. The wonderful thing about this God is that He walks in love.

He is calling us all to follow Him. He has great things planned for the life of the person that makes Him the final authority over their lives. I know you may have parents, friends, spouses, or even bosses that you look up to that decide most of your life but God wants to be number one on a list of one, because He alone knows what you want, need and desire. 

He knew you before you were ever created. He knows what you have been created for. Speaking for myself, I never knew what I wanted to be when I grew up, apart from being a really good Mom. I didn't have a good mom growing up and I wanted to love my children and care for them the way I always wanted to be cared for.

God knew that. He blessed me and helped me become that. As I got older and entered the working world, I happened to begin working at the Post Office. It really happened on accident. I also need to tell you I didn't want to go to work there and leave my youngest at the babysitters. Like I mentioned earlier, I wanted to be a mom and I loved that job.

Today, almost 16 years later, I am the first female Postmaster of Dublin, Texas since 1875.

Who knew?

God alone knew the plans He had for me, After following His lead for more than 25 plus years, I can safely say He has led me into greater and greater things every year of my following Him. For the first time in my life, I am married to a man who also follows this Good Shepperd, and loves Him with all of his heart. Together we trust God and His leading.

Trusting in the Lord hasn't always been easy. I wouldn't lie to you. It has, however, been so very worth it.

 I have some friends that once walked with the Lord but wouldn't or couldn't trust this wonderful Shepherd. Some have fallen away, back into their old sad lives while some have returned, stronger than ever and are taking on the kingdom of hell by force!

Wherever you find yourself today I want to tell you that Jesus is calling you to Him. He is saying, " Come Away with Me. It's gonna be great. It's gonna be wild. It's gonna be full of Me."

Will you follow the Master's call?

I will. Everyday until I see Him face to face I will always say, "Lead Me on Lord. Lead me on."

I can't wait to see what the next adventure with Him has in store!!

Time To Get Serious

"Now is the time", the Holy Spirit is saying, to all of humanity. 

Can your hear Him? 

Are you even listening?

Don't worry. I'm not condemning you for something I do as well.

My prayer is that we all have ears to hear what God is saying to us, in this hour.

The past few months have been consumed with reports from media and government officials concerning CO-VID 19, the Coronavirus. I'm sick to death of hearing about it yet, smart enough to realize that anything that affects the entire planet with this magnitude is worth paying attention to.

I won't bore you with repeating excerpts from sermons already told or prophetic words from other sources but will only share with you what God has put on my heart at this moment to share.

Beware of distractions.

I wonder what was going on in the world the few weeks most Americans were watching "Tiger King". I'm not judging those that watched, but so many of my dearest godliest friends were watching this twisted T.V. drama. America was distracted.

 When a great move of God is occurring, when a much needed change is coming, when the Lord Himself is making it so evident that He is changing the pieces on the board, daily, it is imperative we not be distracted. 

God is out in the open, holding the ball, ready to pass and the enemy is watching, waiting to blindside us. 

He will do anything to keep us from the wonderful plans God has for us in this hour and use the very thing God is changing and moving in to trip us up.

What is this "thing" God is using? Social Media.

Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, etc. are just a few of the mighty weapons in the Hands of the Lord. I heard someone say today that there is more video production coming from the church than from Hollywood. Why? Churches have no choice if they want to fulfill the mandate of spreading the gospel to the world. 

The church meetings have been shut down, the doors shut due to the virus. Facebook Live and other social media avenues of self-made church videos are flooding the internet. Praise God! It is time the people of God took back the ground that the enemy has been working on stealing for so many years. 

I LOVE the fact that we are alive and walking with the Lord right now. I LOVE to see a brand new world evolving from such tragedy. I LOVE to see the beauty God gives in exchange for the ashes the enemy leaves behind. 

My friends, focus on the mark. Listen for His voice and follow the Good Shepherd. He is going places and I don't want to be left behind.

Do you?

The Goodness of God in Your Memories

The Goodness of God in your memories

 Memories can be extremely fun and often exciting to remember but also can be very painful. Some wounds run so deep they never fully heal. In those times we cling to Jesus to pull us through with the hope that His word is true, that all the tears will be wiped away, and we will all be together forever with Him.

 In looking back we should also look forward as to what new memories we are in the process of making. What does God have in store for us? Often we ask, is there going to be a happy ending to my story?

 No matter where you are in your story the author waits and watches to see what you are going to do next. It isn't that He isn't aware of every possible outcome, He is omniscient after all. It isn't as if He doesn't know the ending for He is not bound by time. It is your ability to choose according to the freewill God gave you that shapes your future.

 How can we change the future and keep the past from repeating itself? How can we learn and grow and change into someone other than who we are now? Not that you or I are bad, but we know if we use wisdom, we all have issues, demons to conquer...pun intended.

 How do we conquer the demons from our past and have a better tomorrow than today? Today may have been a great day and you may be completely satisfied with who you are and have blessed where you have been and let it all go as they say but memories are tricky things. They creep up on you when least expect them.

 Today I saw a penny on the floor as I was sweeping and something tugged at me... Later, as I was getting something out of my pocket, I dropped a penny on the ground.... a wave of sadness hit me as I picked it up and I realized how much a small penny means to me right now. I thought of times when I had abundance and times like now, when scraping together copper and silver change has once again become a part of my weekly routine.

 Seasons change. I was telling my daughter, as I held my month old grandson, the same thing older women told me...cherish these moments Sara, they go by so fast. You may feel held down or trapped but these moments are precious. What I should have told her but I didn't want to start crying, was that I wished so very badly I could hold her in my arms like that one more time.

 We have had our ups and downs as she was growing up and going through the changes all young women go through but she is still that precious baby girl that I held in my arms.

 I have had the privilege of holding 5 of my own precious babies in my arms...one I will see when I get to heaven, my baby Rose, who must have been so precious that God kept her for Himself. Yet in this day and age I know I am above and beyond blessed to have had so much love in my life.

 Memories keep us warm on cold nights and cause fresh tears to wet our cheeks as if they had just occured. God is good. In all things God is good. Let me say that....for those that love the Lord...and we do....ALL THINGS work together for our good.

 From the time I was 14 years old I have memories of adventures of unbelivable Proportions. Some people say, " Did that really happen?" Yes it did.

 I was a teenage runaway and a 9th grade drop out...but God. I am now a Pastor and also Postmaster of Dublin Texas. Only a compassionate ever present God can take a broken little girl and make her into a strong productive woman of God. I was lost, unwanted, and unloved (so I thought) but now I am loved by a wonderful man who loves the Lord, using my gifts and talents for the kingdom of God and have restored relationships with family and friends, to which seemed impossible for the lost little 14 year old homeless girl so long ago. I am making new memories that are wild, great and full of HIM.

 For those of us that live according to God's word He is ever present in our memories. His word calls us to remembrance. He commands us to remember. If we don't we will repeat our past. I am thankful to live in a world where the past can be the past and the future can be amazing. I am thankful to be forgiven for past mistakes. I am thankful our times are in His hands.

 As the seasons change and old memories creep back in, bless them, let them go, and let God write your future. Let's

 keep our eyes on the prize, which is an eternity with Christ full of love and forgiveness. If you find yourself in a dark place, uncertain and afraid, call out to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. He is able to bring about newness of life, restoration and will begin to rewrite your story and give you that fairy tale ending you never thought possible. 

 It took a long time for me to believe in the goodness of God. Today I have found it in my memories.

A Word For 2012

The Invisible Church

A word the Lord gave me about this year of 2012

Rev. Susan G. Honeycutt

Some things you can see , like water, cars, people , and animals.

For those that are blessed with eyesight, it is common to drive thru any

town and see several churches of different denominations. America is

blessed with the freedom to worship whoever they want in whatever

way they want . What then is the invisible church?

The invisible church is the God given institution of the the Body

of Christ, with the members being made up of people who have given

their hearts to Jesus Christ. It is a body with Christ as the head. It is

an unseen group that surpasses time and space, connected by their

love of the word of God and their devotion to the Father that loved them

enough to sacrifice His own son's life to jointly fit them together.

The greatest act of love is giving of yourself for another's sake, giving,

willingly, out of an abundance of love for the sake of another. Love is

not measured by gifts given or received but by the amount of sacrifice

it took to give that love. A parent sacrifices their youth by working and

providing for their children . Putting another before yourself requires

a sacrifice of love . Pride requires that we put ourselves first, that we

satisfy our own needs first and foremost , but love requires that our

wants and expectations are second when compared to another's. Love

doesn't require that the person be family or even a friend. It is an even

greater sacrifice to love someone you don't know and most great when it

is an enemy.

The Lord is calling the invisible church , the body of Christ, to arms. We

are being called into an invisible battle, not with physical ammunition but

with the sword of the Lord , which is the word of God. Let me share with

you what I hear the Lord speaking concerning this year , specifically.

The word is "The Invisible Church " . Why the emphasis on being invisible?

What can we do when we are not seen? Like servants to the master we do

the work that is asked of us and even sometimes the work no one wants

to do. We are also like foot soldiers that go in the front of the battle , taking

the heavy fire , so the rest may follow. Church , we are called to war with a

sacrifice of love according to the word of God, through the laying down of

our lives for the sake of the other.

I must say that there is a measure of sadness in my heart as I write this,

because I know that so many of the things we will do this year will never

be seen by the naked eye, nor will the rewards be realized in this life , but

will be in the next to come. Just like the church is invisible , so will

our battles be, sensed by the spirit and hard to explain. Some of those

battles might even be fought alone. Why would a member of the body

have to fight alone?

Sometimes the Lord leads us through these times of solitary battle to show

His power in us and sometimes it is to strengthen our faith and resolve that

God is who He says He is and He will do what He says He will do. Rest assured

He gives us what we need right when we need it. In this unseen battle God is

a master General who supplies His army with the right equipment and manpower

to take back the ground the enemy has conquered.

Call on your brothers and sisters for their assistance in prayer , don't feel the

need to try and articulate everything you are going through when fighting an

unseen enemy. Call on the Lord for protection for one another and be ready in

a moments notice. Don't proceed , in the work of the ministry, desiring to see

results in this life. Some things are meant to be stored up in heaven, to be revealed

when we are standing before the throne. It is an easy thing to suffer something

when the prize is clearly in view , but what a reward awaits us when we have

lived by faith and not by sight.

We are the invisible church , not bound by any man made institution , denomination ,

or culture. We are jointly fit together by a master carpenter who never wastes

materials on empty purposes. He has a plan for each individual that is profound

and better than that person can possibly imagine. He also has a plan for the body

as a whole , beautifully adorned as a bride, awaiting the bridegroom. He is coming

for His bride , soon. That is the only reward we need to look for , that the one

we love is coming to return that love very, very soon.

There is a spirit of fear that is spreading with the new year and many doomsday

prophecies circulating. It is our responsibility to counteract that fear with love

and truth at every turn. I encourage you , in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ,

to be the man or woman of God that He created you to be regardless of what

it looks like. Believe in the impossible and do not limit the power of God

through you. Call on every resource made available to you to do the

work that is put before you. Do the tasks behind the scenes that no one

has the courage or the amount of love required to do . Be the Christian you

declared before the Lord you wanted to be. Do it , regardless of whether anyone

is there to pat you on the back . Love no matter what it costs, walk

continuously in the Love of God and store up for yourselves treasure in heaven

where moth and rust will never destroy it.

God bless us all with wisdom and

understanding to do His will this year and always.