Month: March 2016

GOOD GOOD GOOD Friday!!!…..The most difficult, traumatic, excruciatingly painful day for JESUS was absolutely the most life-changing, freedom-giving, love-filled day that we as believers in Jesus have ever known!

This was THE day that LOVE DEFEATED death! Not only physical death, but any death we all experience in this life here on earth. The death of dreams, relationships, expectations of what your life was supposed to be like! We’ve all experienced the death of something that left us at best discouraged and quite possibly devastated! But on THE Day known as Good Friday, the GREATEST expression of LOVE ever known, SHOUTED in the face of death and snatched away it’s power to discourage us, defeat us and crush us!  We need only BELIEVE and then RECEIVE it!

It’s THE Day we got direct access, 24/7, to the very THRONE of GOD, assuring us that His ear is inclined completely to our cries, groans, bargaining, pleading and prayers! Hebrews 4:16, Matthew 27:51

It’s THE Day we received the unrepayable gift of a life eternal, forever and ever and ever and ever……with our Creator, Redeemer and Spirit of the Living God! John 3:16, Titus 1:2

It’s THE Day that purchased our FORGIVENESS for every sin we have or will commit and all it takes is our confession! Romans 5:8, 1John 1:9

It’s THE Day that fear was defeated by a LOVE like no other! Romans 8:15, 1John 4:18

It’s THE Day that allows us to be blessed with every spiritual blessing and by His divine power, be given EVERYTHING we need to live a godly life! Ephesians 1:3, 2Peter 1:3

It’s THE Day that we received provision for our peace, our healing, our freedom, our deliverance, wisdom, grace, mercy, justification, sanctification and EVERTHING we could possibly need! Jesus said: “IT IS FINISHED! Isaiah 53, John 19

I truly could go on and on and on about the incredible benefits and blessings that the children of the Living God received on that day that LOVE defeated death! That day our Blessed Saviour WILLINGLY and even JOYFULLY chose to suffer the most excruciating and painful death on the cross, being beaten and scourged to the point of being unrecognizable!

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THE day when He hung on OUR cross!! The one we should have had to suffer on because it was OUR sin that caused our Abba Father to CHOOSE to send His ONLY SON to this earth to DIE so WE. COULD. LIVE!! OH WHAT A SAVIOUR! ❤️

What drew Him there to that cross? It was YOU precious son and daughter! His indescribable LOVE for us drove Him tenaciously to that cross with a deep desire to KNOW you and be there for you through every trial, tribulation and death you experience!

Just go ahead and insert your name here…

My JESUS willingly suffered and died for _________ , because He loves me with an everlasting and unconditional love and passionately desires an intimate and everlasting relationship with ME!

YOU ARE WORTH IT TO HIM! I AM WORTH IT TO HIM!

TO HIM WE. ARE. WORTH. EVERY PAINFUL THORN ON HIS HEAD, EVERY LASH HE RECEIVED THAT RIPPED HIS BACK TO SHREDS, EVERY TIME SOMEONE MOCKED HIM AND SPAT UPON HIM AND BEAT HIM WITH THEIR FISTS AND EVERY LAST DROP OF BLOOD UNTIL HE TOOK HIS VERY LAST BREATH!

Oh dearest ones, this is not hype or exaggeration! In fact our meager words and vocabulary can not even come close to describing the magnitude of His suffering and the deep deep love for you and me that compelled our Father to send His beloved son to us to die! GOD being God could have just given us eternal life and forgiveness of sins and just forgotten about the BIG sin in the garden of Eden that caused death and sin to rule and reign, but he knew the world would never fully comprehend the great love He has for every person ever created, unless He sacrificed His most precious gift, His only begotten son!

And our beautiful JESUS!! He could have chosen not to do this! Oh He thought about it it the garden when He compelled His besties to PLEASE stay awake with Him! Oh how He needed their love and encouragement as He was in such anguish that He literally sweat drops of blood! But it was late and they were tired from walking all those dusty roads these past three years, the throngs of needy people coming at them day and night, desperate to be healed and delivered, and then there was that Last Supper together where one of their very own turned on their beloved Master! So much stress, weariness, intensity, so much drama, so much confusion and so many unanswered questions! And so……… they slept.

I’m thinking back on my life to the many many times I’ve been just like those disciples! Because of all the distractions, drama and stresses of life, I’ve chosen to shut her down, retreat, deny, ignore and just be asleep at the wheel! I’ve known the gifts God has blessed me with and the assignments He has given me and yet I’ve missed it many times! Times when He’s really needed me to be JESUS with skin on to someone who was hurting! But I was too distracted and self-absorbed!

I was shopping one day when the Lord spoke to my heart as I looked at a young mom pushing her toddler through the store. He said “go and tell her that she is a wonderful mother! And tell her I said so”! Well I looked closer at that mom and saw a happy, well dressed, beautiful woman! I immediately reasoned in my blonde brain that she must already know that she’s a great mom and surely has no need to hear that! And so I shopped on! That was probably 8-10 years ago! I think about that momma often and wonder what my words of love and encouragement, which would have been straight from heaven, would have done in her life and heart that day! I know we have all had those nudges! My prayer is that we are not like those disciples who let their Lord down when He needed them the most!

In looking at ALL the amazing benefits the CROSS of CHRIST brings us, and I did not even list them ALL, for me the BIGGEST benefit has been death to the spirit of fear that controlled and tormented my life from the time I was young! I grew up with a grandma whom I adored, but she constantly told horrific stories of people who had these terrible diseases and died! She didn’t mean to bring fear to me but because I am very empathetic, I took these stories to heart and they deeply affected me!

This began MANY years of walking in fear that these same diseases would come upon me. And surely the bad family genetics would visit me and I would end up with these same diseases that have been passed down for generations! Then one day about 10 years ago, my precious, godly, prayer partner, SuzAnna, asked me a question. So what is the worse thing that can happen to you if you were to get a disease and die? I said well I would be with my JESUS for eternity! She then said that I needed to tell satan that I was no longer going to fear disease or death because the worst thing that could happen is I’d get to see JESUS face to face! I also needed to tell the enemy that I was going to TRUST God to take care of me and keep me until THE appointed day I am to be with Him! I have to admit I really didn’t want to tell satan that I wasn’t afraid to die, I thought he just might take me up on it, but I knew I had to do it! My precious friend actually had me repeat after her since I didn’t think I could muster up the words!

And…… Oh My Goodness! I think a GIANT lightbulb actually went off over my head that surely could be seen for miles and I’m pretty sure I heard a choir of angels singing as years and years of the weight and torment of fear was replaced with a revelation that my God LOVES me PERFECTLY and HE can be trusted with my life! All because of THE Day LOVE defeated death, fear, sin, shame, rejection, addiction, sickness, guilt and EVERYTHING that causes us pain and ultimately affects our relationship with The One Who LOVES us MOST!

Oh precious ones! Let me be that friend to share with you the TRUTH about the CROSS and the LOVE that was so vividly expressed there for YOU! Are you struggling with fear, rejection, loneliness, hopelessness, addiction, guilt, shame, sickness, anger, a broken marriage, a prodigal child………

KNOW that you have a God Who is:

• YOUR SAVIOR
• YOUR HEALER
• YOUR REDEEMER
• YOUR DELIVERER
• YOUR CREATOR
• YOUR PROVIDER
• YOUR COUNSELOR
• YOUR PRINCE OF PEACE
• YOUR STRONGTOWER
• YOUR PROTECTOR
• YOUR WISDOM
• YOUR STRENGTH
• YOUR SHEPHERD
• YOUR ROCK
• YOUR SHIELD
• YOUR COMFORTER
• YOUR CORNERSTONE
• YOUR BREAD OF LIFE
• YOUR LIVING WATER
• YOUR GREAT HIGH PRIEST
• YOUR ADVOCATE
• YOUR BREATH OF LIFE
• YOUR HUSBAND 
• YOUR INTERCESSOR 
• YOUR EVERLASTING FATHER
• YOUR MEDIATOR
• YOUR MERCIFUL GOD
• YOUR GRACIOUS GOD
• YOUR FORGIVING GOD
• YOUR LOVING FATHER/ABBA
• YOUR FRIEND

WOW! That is one AMAZING and INCREDIBLE list! One attribute for every day of the month!😊 But this is only a partial list! I can promise you, that no matter what it is you are battling, struggling with or going through, you can find Him right in the middle of it waiting to be your SAVIOR, HEALER, REDEEMER, DELIVERER……..because YOU. ARE. WORTH IT! And oh my, He LOVES YOU SO!

BEAUTIFUL, LOVING LORD GOD, WHAT COULD WE POSSIBLY DO TO REPAY YOU FOR THE UNFATHOMABLE GIFT OF YOUR PRECIOUS SON JESUS! NOT ONE THING, YOU SAY! BUT I KNOW WHAT GIVES YOU GREAT JOY IS WHEN WE RECEIVE EVERY BENEFIT THAT THE GREAT SACRIFICE OF YOUR SON PURCHASED FOR US WITH EVERY DROP OF HIS BLOOD! FATHER, FORGIVE US FOR LIGHTLY ESTEEMING THESE PRECIOUS, COSTLY GIFTS AND HELP US TO BELIEVE THEN RECEIVE ALL THAT YOU HAVE PROVIDED FOR US TO LIVE THE ABUNDANT LIFE YOU SO YEARN FOR US TO HAVE! HELP US TO TRUST YOU WITH ALL WE ARE, ALL WE HAVE AND ALL WE GO THROUGH BECAUSE WE KNOW YOU HAVE PROMISED TO NEVER EVER NO NEVER LEAVE US OR FORSAKE US! WE SURRENDER OUR FEARS, OUR GUILT, OUR SINS AND SORROWS TO YOU FOR WE KNOW THAT YOUR LOVE DEFEATED ALL THESE THINGS THAT GOOD GOOD GOOD FRIDAY! WITH ALL OF OUR LOVE! IN THE PRECIOUS NAME OF JESUS! 

Love ALWAYS,

Tara

P. S. I think I see countless giant light bulbs popping up all over the place and can hear beautiful choirs of angels singing as precious saints run to the Cross to embrace EVERY blessing and benefit that was purchased because of LOVE!

It’s Friday!!!! But Sunday’s comin!👏🎁

I stood before 400 people and testified to the awesome healing power of God! I proclaimed His goodness and faithfulness! I praised Him for doing the impossible! I encouraged others to stand and believe that God was GREATER than any problem or circumstance they faced!

You see my son Adam was diagnosed with a brain tumor at 22 months and the tumor along with the 8 1/2 hour surgery to remove the orange-sized growth, caused a seizure disorder that would control our lives for a number of years!  During his first grade year he had a seizure at school almost every other day. One specialist told us since there was seizure activity coming from every part of his brain, he would ALWAYS have them!

I walked out of that office knowing I had exhausted every medical and natural pathway to end these wicked seizures! If you’ve ever seen one you know why I call them wicked! They’re terrifying to see and you’re helpless as you watch your precious child stop breathing as their sweet little bodies writhe and contort. But God…..

He heard my cry that day that said to Him  I BELIEVED this was not His will for my child and that I knew He was willing and able to heal my beautiful boy! From that moment on, Adam has had only a handful of seizures and mostly only with high fevers or sleep deprivation! Quite amazing since for 5 straight years and dozens of medications, there seemed to be no relief in sight! He will be 30 years old this year and has been married to his beautiful wife Melissa going on 3 years!  But God!…. He is FAITHFUL!

The “rest of the story” and the meat of my message today takes us back to that great testimony I gave to those 400 people! What you don’t know is that it had been exactly one year at that point since Adam had had a seizure! Not even fever or sleep deprivation brought one on! What you also don’t know is that very next night after I stood and proclaimed Adam’s healing, he had a seizure out of the blue! There was not one thing that caused it! It was random, unprovoked and it broke my heart! He was 13 and about to leave on his first church mission trip!

As I laid there that night on the top bunk keeping watch over Adam, tears of deep disappointment rolled down my cheeks! How could this happen God? Didn’t you see me stand up boldly before all those people and testify about how You healed my boy?Didn’t you hear how I proclaimed Your goodness and faithfulness? Didn’t you love it when I exhorted them all to trust You for their miracle?

Then I heard it! Words that would forever change my heart, shape my attitude and become the filter and eyes that I would see everything through!

“REHEARSE MY FAITHFULNESS”!

Those three words that my precious Lord spoke to me, would begin on that very night to turn my heartache into hope, my tears into triumph and my confusion into the certainty that MY GOD IS FAITHFUL NO MATTER WHAT I SEE!

Rehearse! Being a theatre major, I knew what that meant but looked up the official definition.

Rehearse: “to recount; to say again, to go over again and again.”

THERE IT IS! God wanted me to go over and over again and again and recount ALL the ways and ALL the times He has been FAITHFUL to me, my family, my friends, to all the many prayers I have seen answered!  But on that night my soul was desperately disappointed and my mind wanted to run rampant with thoughts like, the seizures are back, they will keep coming, he’s not been healed! But God….. in His loving kindness and tender mercies repeated: REHEARSE MY FAITHFULNESS!

And so I did! Up on that bunk that night, the Lord brought to my mind all the many many times in my life when He protected my family and me, forgave me, gave me grace and mercy, healed my body, touched my kids and brought them through sickness, brought our marriage through different challenges, provided financially, brought favor with job promotions, brought precious friends into our lives, blessed us with a home and cars, vacations and met each and every need. Always. Every. Single. Time!

He replayed in my mind all the times He had come through for us from the moment Adam was diagnosed with his brain tumor! The time he ended up in ICU at 5yrs old having had 26 continuous seizures which paralyzed him on one side of his body and left him unable to speak or swallow! Dr’s said that all those seizures had fried his brain and that it was likely the damage would be permanent!

I did it then too! Right there in that ICU I recounted all the ways the Lord had touched Adam and carried our family through each and every dark, scary, discouraging moment! I BELIEVED in the promises of God including Psalm 103 that says He forgives all of our sins and HEALS all of our diseases! I REHEARSED HIS FAITHFULNESS! The next morning Adam woke up totally whole and completely healed! Praise our Faithful God!

Love, love, love this verse in 2Timothy 2:13! Even if we are unfaithful, HE REMAINS FAITHFUL! It’s who HE IS! Faithfulness is His character! Let that sink into your mind and then get deeply rooted and grounded into your heart! God’s Faithfulness is not dependent on what we do or don’t do! We can be absolutely faithless or unfaithful and He is still going to keep every one of His promises to us and love us unconditionally! Deuteronomy 7:9

REHEARSING HIS FAITHFULNESS renews and builds our faith and helps us to believe that even though you don’t know how or when, God will come through for you again! And on that night in that top bunk, the Lord filled my heart with hope to trust in His Faithfulness even though it looked as if everything was falling apart! And Faithful He has been to keep Adam healthy all these years!

Oh precious ones, I know there are so many of you going through dire circumstances that have caused your faith to waiver and your heart to lose hope! Just in the past few days I have spoken with precious friends, one just being diagnosed with ovarian cancer, another whose husband has been suffering with a painfully debilitating disease for 12 years and he’s just in his 40’s. You each have your stories of struggle or know someone who is trying not to sink into the quicksand of despair!

If we choose to look at our circumstances and the things going on in the world, we will go under emotionally and or spiritually and it will affect us physically as well! But God!!!…… He wants us to REHEARSE HIS FAITHFULNESS in our lives! For those worried about this country and the elections, we need to rehearse God’s Faithfulness to America since the 9/11 terrorist attacks! Even with economic crisis’, a fractured and disunified government, and now a Presidential election that is looking more and more like we may be voting for the lesser of two evils (my personal opinion only) , God has kept us safe from further attacks and blessed our economy to recover from stock market dips and high unemployment! I believe He will continue to provide for and protect His children!

In all of this we have a Good Good Father and a Faithful God who wants us to trust in His unwavering and everlasting love for us! He wants us to take a look back throughout our lives and go over and over and recount the countless times He has never left us or forsaken us, the times His strength empowered us and His grace was sufficient! The times when things looked impossible yet He made path to victory in the midst of the desert!

REHEARSE HIS FAITHFULNESS today or tonight as you lay in your bed and turn your thoughts of discouragement and even despair into faith in the One who knows the number of hairs on your head! The One who captures every one of your tears in a bottle and hears and is moved by every cry of your heart! The One who gave His very last drop of blood and breath so you and I could have all that we need to live the abundant life He wants us to have here on this earth! For He has overcome sin, sickness and death! But what really moves Him to act on your behalf is His deep deep love for you, His beautiful child! Trust Him with the impossible!

OUR GRACIOUS HEAVENLY FATHER! YOU HAVE PROMISED US THAT YOU WILL NEVER LEAVE US OR FORSAKE US AND THAT YOU HAVE OVERCOME THE WORLD AND ALL THE PERILS IN IT! HELP US IN OUR FAITHLESSNESS AND UNBELIEF TO CONTINUALLY REHEARSE YOUR FAITHFULNESS TO US AND TO BELIEVE THAT YOU ARE THE GOD OF THE IMPOSSIBLE AND THAT THERE IS NOTHING TOO HARD FOR YOU! HELP US TO GRAB HOLD OF EACH OF YOUR PRECIOUS PROMISES FOR US AND NOT LET GO UNTIL WE GET OUR FREEDOM, OUR HEALING, OUR VICTORY IN WHATEVER WE ARE BATTLING! HELP US CONQUER OUR FEAR, DOUBT, UNBELIEF AND YES EVEN APATHY! THANK YOU FOR BEING OUR REDEEMER, OUR HEALER, OUR DELIVERER, OUR PRINCE OF PEACE AND PROVIDER! GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS OH GOD TO US! WE LOVE YOU WITH ALL OF OUR HEART, MIND, SOUL AND STRENGTH! IN JESUS MIGHTY AND MATCHLESS NAME!

LOVE ALWAYS,

tara

John 3:30