This life time of relationships can really be complicated and confusing. Sometimes when things are out of your control as far as unrighteousness happening all around you, you can really easily be pulled into the whole negative picture. I speak of my life and things that are going on in it, my struggles, battles, emotional state, and my mind set. You feel oppressed with no options to be able to make things better, and cry out to God with your tears to open the eyes of the blind, including your own blindside. Inside your pain and suffering is so great that you are not sure how to let go and let God. You have no choice but to rely on God. It’s a shame that he has to remind us that our life needs to be placed in his care, and we should willingly give it to him, and trust in him. It’s not easy to say with our mouth and mean it, God is in control when there is a war waging around us and in us. The fact is God really is in control. He does not create the choice and instill in people to hurt one another, and do wrong. He gave us that will to choose to love him. The power and righteousness of God however, takes those situations and turns them around to glorify him, and we wait for the victory in a long, stretched-out battle to get to that place of rest. Have you ever been accused of doing things evil, that you never even done, been called a fake Christian, the devil, a martyr because someone was consumed with so much fear, bitterness and believed that you have done things against them that were not true at all. Your closest relationships have been destroyed because of deception and if you’re not careful this battle in you becomes your idol and your relationship with God becomes detached as well because of sin that is in our hearts. Lack of trust and belief that God is powerful and our provider causes us more harm then the situation it’s self. How to take a punch when we are at our weakest is a hard lesson that God has been teaching me. In my relationship with God, I have asked him to help me learn to be more Christ-like when under temptation. And at times I could kick myself for asking. When there is a request that is prayed to our God, he listens, and answers promptly when it involves a transformation in our life to renew us and mold us into more of what he desires from his vessel, he comes to the call. The pastor of the church I attend preached a message that connected with some of the difficult task in my life. He was talking about dyeing and resurrection. There has to be death to sin in our life, and the day of our resurrection we become a new creation changed with victory embedded into our character. Dyeing is not fun, very painful, conflictual, and a lot of grief in the process. The question that I have mentioned; how can these temptations of false accusations and division in relationship be helping my character. Unfortunately, we can be blinded by the storm, and have a hard time seeing God at work. This would be a good time to be still and know that He is God. If you move you are bound to get lost, because you can’t see what mighty work God is doing. I have been in bad storms that I had to pull off the road because there was no visibility at all. It’s the same thing when we are in a difficult situation. Our fear can lead us down paths, and convince us that the wrong way is the right way; if not careful we will run of the road, or worse. Through faith and belief in Him, its best to stay put, let go and let God until he is completed what he has set out to do.

God is so beautiful, and I want to be crafted into His perfect plan. Being in the image of God is what we are; I need to see life through His eyes. First to give myself a living sacrifice of laying down sin which is not of Him? He is holy and draws me near to Him that I surrender under His lead in every aspect of my life. He writes the law on our heart, and that law in this day in age, is love which builds up His Kingdom. Love has many different faces that I just keep seeing as I live my life in the beauty of a world that is broken, hurting, and sin creating a wall of Jericho between us and God. As I think about Joshua and the story of Jericho I'm amazed I have considered and analogy between that story and my relationship with God and His love that has the power to do amazing things such as how the walls came down. I need the Holy Spirit to march around my character of all that I am and then when He blows that trumpet loud with rejoicing, the walls of all things in me that is not of Him come falling down around me, that His greatness can over take my temple and rule it with the Spirit of the Lord; the Spirit of wisdom, the Spirit of understanding; the Spirit of counsel; the Spirit of might; the Spirit of knowledge; and the Spirit of the fear of the LORD. Filling me entirely with the humble appreciation of God sending His son for transgressing that I have done against God. That is one face of love, and I said it has many forms, because it does. Just worshiping I see love that takes the look of many different forms. It’s more then deep warm feeling about our-self and others. Self love is such an important key of how we give it out the every person God every created. I'm not talking about being selfish, but seeing the beauty of what God has molded us into. Accepting our-self because God made us and this is amazing for the uniqueness of each and every being. God has made each of us different, and considering the multitude of people that has walked this earth, (WOW) no two are alike in anyway. Brother and sisterly love, there are many parts to what love is in friendship. Commitment, sharing, caring, closeness, oh my God, open the eyes of the blind. Showing concern for others, being available, and loyalty, dependable. Complete love is the Word that created all things, and walk the earth in flesh. I need the Living Spirit of God to help me to see and give me and strengthen my desire with great effort to achieve this gift God instructs us have.

I have this image in my head of a full grown weeping willow rooted deep by calm waters. Out of no where the clouds get dark, it begins lighting, and thundering, the winds begin blowing harder and harder. The weeping willow begins to react to the winds impact and blows so beautiful and gracefully with the harsh storm. It struck me funny seeing that this tree was more beautiful as the storm rages through what was so peaceful just a moment ago. Daily battles we face in our journey as a believer can really pose a challenge to the Christ likeness we desire to demonstrate but find so difficult to act upon in a moment of unexpected happenings. Taking into consideration that we are humans, we are going to make mistakes. It does not change the fact however; that there is a guideline as to how one must choose to walk and talk at all times. For me, and I’m sure others can relate, when things are going smooth and right the way we like, life is good, we are blessed, and walking in love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. We look beautiful. Oh Yea! Looking at this from a perspective in the midst of temptation, a bad day, an attack, grief and the list goes on, the storm is upon us. Things then take a turn and I am now having a hard time walking in love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. During the temptation to be in slaved to sin, we battle against the enemy and our own desire to give way to the fleshly side of us. When we can not see the sun because the darkness is between it and us, we can at times, loose site. Being radicated in God brings the true beauty that is in us out. Radicate or to be deeply rooted in the goodness of God, keeps us grounded through anything thing that comes against us. We shall not be moved like a tree planted by the water. Maintaining the fruits of the spirit in the midst of danger that seeks to destroy us is more beautiful then when things are calm. Not from a personal perspective I’m sure, but what others see as to how we deal with these unwanted seasons in life that are not so pleasant. We have witnessed by professing what we believe because it flows out of us when people don’t expect it. Not because we talk it, but because we walk it. Rest in Love, radicate our souls in the foundation of righteousness, transforming worldly ways of thinking into spiritual ways of thinking establishing peace. ~ Dawn Neptune