The Frangipani is one beautiful flower..

My sister in law sent a pic of a flower that grew outside her apartment door in Australia. I thought it was the most beautiful thing. Considering it was winter here and summer down under, I was filled with the instant desire to be taken away to a warm place where the flowers were in bloom and their fragrance filled the air. Well, I couldn't do that so I had to just settle with the thought. In December, she had returned from her year long stay in Aussie Land, and I thought it would be nice to draw some frangipani’s (photo below) for her so she could be reminded of all that the Lord did while she was at Hillsong College.
In all its fragrant beauty, even the days of this flower are numbered. The beauty withers and dries up, no longer does its sweet scent fill the air. Sometimes we can relate to this in our lives, not about passing on but about seasons we enter in and out of. I have found myself at a time in my walk with Christ where it was so filled with wonderful color and oh so much fragrance... it is still somewhat the same, but not as it was then. It was for a season. What do we know about seasons? Well, they are cyclical, that means they come around full circle, again and again..
This is nice if your season was enjoyable. What if it was not so great? What does this mean? I have to go through that again? Possibly, maybe, perhaps...but one thing is for sure- When the Lord is with you, you CAN stand! The breath of the Lord blows on our lives carrying us and guiding us in the direction that is good. We can be assured that even though the times pass and we enter into different "seasons" that the word of the Lord STANDS FOREVER. Grass withers and the flowers fade....Press into the Lord today and hold your head up, knowing He is the same yesterday, today and forever.

The voice said, “Cry out!” And he said, “What shall I cry?”
“ All flesh is grass, And all its loveliness is like the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower fades, because the breath of the LORD blows upon it;
Surely the people are grass. The grass withers, the flower fades,
But the word of our God stands forever.” Isaiah 40: 6-8.

"Let Not Your Hands be Weak"

Zephaniah 3-16,17
In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem: "Do not fear; Zion, let not your hands be weak. The Lord your God in your midst, The Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing."

" The Lord, your God- in your midst"...Wow. This is always made so visual to me when I picture the Tabernacle of Moses. This statement alone should blow any believer away. I know it does this for me. Last month I attended Joanna Fruhauf's study on the Tabernacle of Moses. Instantly I was taken back as if I was getting a bird's eye view of the the whole layout. I couldn't help thinking, "Wow, the presence of God was in their midst!" His presence was with the children of Israel! He must have really loved them! He did and He still has that same love even for us. This stuck with me as I had gone to bed that night into the morning. I was reminded of the scripture in Zephaniah 3: 16,17. At that moment, I recollected a sketch in a journal that I had done a few years ago of a harp..and on that page I had written this very scripture! The Lord our God is in our midst and He will rejoice over us with gladness, He quiets us with his love, He will rejoice over us with singing! He does all this and more! To think that He has the same love, and the desire for us to be in His presence as He did so many years ago. I am privileged to know such a Lord. How awesome to know that the Tabernacle of Moses was a foreshadowing of the coming Christ! I am so humbled that such an awesome, mighty God would have such deep concern, adoration and love for us!

Yes and one more thing- Don't let your hands be weak! HE IS WITH YOU!! No matter what you may be experiencing in this moment, know that you are not doing it alone- The Lord, your God is in your midst! He is no respector of persons- remember the Isrealites also struggled in obeying God. We all fall short, but He gives us the strength to overcome the greatest obstacles we face if we would cry and call out unto Him.

Looking for a Way. psalm 119:9-12.

9.How can a young man cleanse his way?
By taking heed according to Your word.
10. With my whole heart I have sought You;
Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments!
11. Your word I have hidden in my heart,
That I might not sin against You.
12. Blessed are You, O LORD!
Teach me Your statutes.

There's not many that have it all down. I certainly don't don't. Each of us has a way that works for us. I would say, "Hey, pick up the bible and read and understand it. Don't go by what you've heard other people say, don't go by what media says, just read it for what it is and hear what it is telling you- literally." That sounds like a good answer. Hmmm...

What am I saying? We all make mistakes and fall off track at least once or twice...maybe even more times in our life. How can this cycle come to and end or to a close ?

Listen closely to what the words in the scriptures are saying.

9.How can a young man cleanse his way?
By taking heed according to Your word. Psalm 119:9

What does His word's speak to you?

Springtime has Come, Winter is Past...but Tomorrow Comes the Rain

I will praise You with uprightness of heart, when I learn Your righteous judgments. Psalm 119:7

It has been really warm out for the past few days here. Very nice, feels good even in your bones. It's like a new world outside. Everywhere I turn I see color on trees, in the sky...the birds singing in flight, it's simply beautiful. But...

Tomorrow comes the rain.
Its going get cooler again for the remainder of the week and who knows when the sun will shine again as bright as it did today. Oh well, weather changes its course all the time, constantly changing.

I am finding myself quite content right now. I have been reading my bible more often and getting back to the basics. More and more I see how God has constantly been the same from the beginning of time. He does not change, He is from everlasting to everlasting. I am getting more acquainted of His character. Its good.

I know that by getting more acquainted with His character and His honest discretion, things start making sense. As I learn from a God who does not change and who has been the same, I can always be aware and understand circumstances, good or bad. I guess that's how I will be able to thank Him with lifted hands.When you lift your hands up it's like saying, "I give up trying so hard to make it on my own understanding and just let You tell me how it is."

Psalm 119:7 soon starts to become personal, and I feel relief.

Illness, disappointment, loss of hope, or a sudden change/shift in your life can really throw you off, in more ways than one. The rain may come tomorrow, but Christ remains the same. Heb. 13:8

Going for a Walk. psalm 119:1-8

1.Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord.

2.Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart.

3.They also do no iniquity: they walk in his ways.

4.You have commanded us to keep your precepts diligently.

5.Oh that my ways were directed to keep your statutes!

6.Then I would not be ashamed, when I look into all Your commandments.

7.I will praise You with uprightness of heart, when I learn Your righteous judgments.

8.I will keep Your statutes: Oh do not forsake me utterly.

I know that if I could manage my way through life living like this, i could enjoy it so much more. In my life God's word has shaped me and changed my understanding in how I see things. Yeah sometimes it does not make sense, but that makes me dig deeper. Digging deeper into the meaning of His word and applying it to everyday life has not just given me understanding, but it is also a reminder of why by nature, apart from God we are absolutely miserable. It is an endless cycle of being really high one day and extremely low the next. How can I end this cycle? By getting up close and personal with the Word of God.

After reading through these first 8 verses of Psalm 119, I find my heart burdened because even though I am a believer in Christ, I know that my natural state of being human also fights for what it wants. By nature I am angry, lonely and lost. It my cry and hearts desire to follow hard after Christ and honor his commandments, statutes, testimonies....Some might be thinking I am saying its all about His law and being good. That's not the case. The way of serious "goodness" is the way of truth; which can be only found in His law. The key would be showing regard to the law and the law giver. There are no cracks or hidden agenda. It's not for personal gain.

In this moment, I am choosing to delight in His word and search through it. I don't want to feel ashamed, that I may lift of my hands and give thanks and honor to the Christ who has set my life free, who has given me understanding and who has not forgotten me- ever.

Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart. Psalm 119:2.

Go for a walk...seek Him out today, while he may be found.