God’s Relentless Pursuit of us in our Rebellion

In church, my pastor is doing the book of Jonah. Everyone thinks that the book of Jonah is either about Jonah or the Whale. The book of Jonah is about two things:

1. Even in our rebellion God loves us.
2. When we are disobedient from God’s calling, He will pursue us – Relentlessly!

This book is only 4 chapters in the bible. It has only 48 versus and God is mentioned 38 times. The theme of Jonah is GOD!
God pursues us and is relentless in His pursuit of us. God does not want us in rebellion but in obedience to Him. He is a loving, patient, pursuing, relentless God! God will never give up on us.
People have disputed the book of Jonah for centuries. But we MUST believe the book of Jonah! It is either truth or lie – no in between. God’s Word is God-Breathed. It is His truth and God cannot lie. So even though this very small book in God’s Word may seem unbelievable, we must believe it’s lesson.

The longer our rebellion lasts the harder it is to get back to God. Rebellion means to refuse to do what God clearly requires. And even though we are in rebellion, know that God is relentless in his pursuit of us and comes after us. Yes, He will meet us wherever we are when we finally stop rebelling and cry out to Him!

Before you can tell the Good News…. You must share the Bad News…Every step of rebellion is a step further away from God and the harder it is going to be to get back to Him. You ask yourself…why is God in pursuit of me in this rebellion? Because He already has His hand on you!
Jonah wanted to die rather than do what God asked him to do. That is absolute rebellion. He knew what God expected of him but absolutely refused to do it. He couldn’t run away from God as God is THERE wherever you are! Psalm 139 says "Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?" If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.

So wherever we go… HE IS THERE! We can sneak food at night, we can eat in our cars where no one sees us, we can hide that food in our desk drawer…. But know this HE IS THERE! Watching our rebellion and relentless in pursuing us to obey Him and do what He requires.

We are God’s temple. He resides within us. When we overeat we are abusing God’s temple. Yes, the words we can read, we can have this in our minds but how do we get it to drop to our heart?

Psalm 139 further states…For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.

God knew us then, knows us now, and will know us in the future. He is the same today, tomorrow and yesterday! He loves us, He forgives us, He requires our obedience, He wants our faithfulness.

This past week in my Beth Moore Breaking Free study we studied the Unfailing Love of God. With that study (the book of Isaiah) and this message I was totally convicted of how much I rebel against God and what He wants from me and expects from me. His love is pure and is ALWAYS there! Even though we are in rebellion HE IS STILL THERE!!!! He never leaves us nor forsakes us.

When we continue to rebel, it is US that makes it harder to get back to Him. He is still there. He is the same when we entered in rebellion and as we continue in our rebellion. His love is unfailing. We cannot get that love from anyone on earth. It can only come from God. So the love we think we are getting from our comfort foods is a lie.

I am not saying this journey is not difficult. Christ said our journey on this earth will be difficult. But He also wanted us to have peace and joy in Him while we are on this earthly journey. Even Paul was singing Him praises in Jail.

As we continue to break free of the chains of this stronghold, let us sing Him praises. Isaiah 51:9 says Awake, Awake! Clothe yourself with strength, O arm of the Lord. We are the arm of the Lord. We are his witnesses. So I say to all of us… Eden’s Freedom Sisters… Awake, Awake! Clothe yourselves with strength as we are the arm of the Lord here on earth! He is the Lord our God, who churns up the sea so that its waves roar! Let our waves roar as we obey His commands. He has replaced our ashes for beauty!

God first loved us. So do not say – I love you Lord… but say “I love you too”! Look in the mirror and know that God has already said He loves you! When someone says they love you, we respond with “I love you too”!

We are so used to hearing the lies, that we have forgotten the truth. HE LOVE US!!!! And We love Him too!

In His Light, Love, and Joy, Debbie

The Prodigal Daughter

Sunday, February 7, 2010

Yesterday, I had the wonderful opportunity to be invited to Lakeland, FL for the Gaither Reunited Tour. It was a four hour event of fun, laughter, music and incredible testimony of redemption and forgiveness.

I am not a “country” music lover. Funny as this is, I worked at a country music radio station for 7-1/2 years in Northern California. All I remembered from being a kid was the twangy sound of country that my father loved. The Grand Ole Opry and Hee Haw. Hated it growing up! After working at the radio station, I grew to acknowledge the “grass roots” of it all but much preferred my Rock-n-Roll. About that time country came out with “country pop”. That was more my style. I did enjoy that and am so surprised when I still say I hate country music today. I believe that to be far from the truth. I still love Rock-n-Roll, but do enjoy country music up to a point.

My Aunt Betty used to sing the old hymns and gospel songs when we used to talk on the phone. I didn’t really enjoy/appreciate that type of music as I am more into the Contemporary Christian music. How I miss her southern drawl and her singing to me on the phone now.

So, when I was invited to go to the Gaithers with my loving sisters from church, I said yes. I did not know too much about them as a musical group, but knew there was some reason I wanted to go. I had heard their name over the years and knew of their gospel music and the gathering of family and its importance.

When we arrived at the Lakeland Center it was the typical getting inside, parking the car, etc. I was in for a surprise as we sat down. As I laughed and listened to the show it was good. I was thinking it was only going to be a couple of hours. As in any concert, there is a “pre-show” before the big talent comes on stage. I didn’t think that this was that type of concert. I thought it was just the Gaithers singing and comedy.

Then the stage went dark and the lights came on with a group of men on stage. I asked my friend. “Okay – who is this”? and she replied “It’s the Gaither Vocal Band”. I was like okay more gospel country. But then they started singing together and then individually and I was blown away. I did not know anything about the Gaither Vocal Band, nor its members. It was astounding and blew me away.

During the course of the afternoon/evening that went on for 4 hours, I learned that the old hymns and the gospel sound is the root of the south and music. This is where my Dad and Aunt Betty got their love of music. They were raised in the church and their love of music was rooted in belief of our Savior.

A wonderful surprise was that Michael English was back with the Gaither Vocal Band (I did not know he had been with them for 10 years before his solo career took off). I knew a little about his fall from grace and Bill Gaither touched upon it and Michael mentioned it as well with great emotion on the stage.

It was a day and evening full of God’s Love, His Grace, and His Beauty. So we came home with songs in our heart, knowing the love of our Savior and I went to bed.

This morning I woke up and wanted more background on the Gaithers and Michael English. So I started surfing and read up on the men in the Gaither Vocal Band and Michael English. I have a true appreciation of this group of men and the Love our Savior has for us.

In one article on Michael English he had referenced a song by gospel legend Dotti Rambo.

Roll back the curtains of memory now and then / Show me where you brought me from and where I could have been / Remember I'm human and humans forget / So remind me, remind me, dear Lord

In the article, Michael English said that the song's message made it clear to him: "I started realizing, you know what? If God has to remind me of where I came from to keep me on course, then I say, bring it on." His book is penned The Prodigal Comes Home.

It got me thinking about our weight issues and how we struggle each and every day with the stronghold we are trying to break free from.

We are the prodigal daughters coming home with The Eden Diet. Coming home to what is natural for our bodies, to worship God and not food, understanding how incredibly unique we are and how God formed each and every one of us in our mother’s womb before we were born.

That we think, like Michael English did in that article, will it ever be over where we don’t have to think about it or address it again? I truly believe that God does remind us where we have come from and where we are now to remind us that we need Him and to keep us focused on Him and freedom will only come in Him.

So if and when you do get off course, know that God is there to not condemn us but to gently remind us to get back on the right track. He does it with love as He wants the absolute best for us in our lives.

We are welcomed home after we stray, each and every time with open arms, a robe of royalty thrown over our shoulders, and the best of feasts.

We are the prodigal daughters coming home to God’s promise and His faithfulness in us, his daughters.

Let us continue to look at this journey as staying on our path with God. Looking at His reminders of our past to keep us on His path for our lives. To be healthy and whole and to shine His light in this dark world. To be yoked with Jesus and be Free in Him to live, love and laugh while we are here on this earth.

Let the music sing in your heart…..

In His Light, Love, and Joy, Debbie

Be Courageous and Do Not Fear!

I was reading a devotional this morning and it hit home as to what we do with our relationship with food. I wanted to share this with all of you so that we may look at this journey with courage and not with fear, to identify the fear that is keeping us from being free from our bondage and to give it all to God...yes, I am saying Total Surrender to Him! Let us trust in Him without wavering. (Psalm 26). Let us walk continually in His Truth!

The answer to our journey is not found with more accountability or more discipline, although those aren't bad things at all. We must be honest about our fear of the unknown and how much we want to be in control and abandon ourselves to the big story that God wants to tell with our lives. He is calling us to a loving, intimate relationship and wants us to join Him in this great adventure."

Romans 8:15 says: for you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear but you have received the Spirit of adoption as daughters, by whom we cry, "Abba! Father!"

"Because we are beloved daughters of a Father who is good, we can and must live boldly and courageously as the assertive, passionate, loving women we were created to be. Courage is a critical component of our Christian walk. We must be bold in our faith, uncompromising in our values and a light in this dark world". (Traylor Lovvorn)

This week let's look to identify the fear and cowardice that has kept us living safely in our bondage with food. As if in battle, we tend to hunker down in our safe place. When we do this we do not show the courage God has put inside of us. Instead of hunkering down in our "safe place" let us take refuge in God. He is not only our shield and the strength of our salvation, our stronghold, but He is our rock, our fortress and our deliverer. God is our rock in whom we take refuge...our "safe place"! (Psalm 18:2)

Psalm 16:1-2, 7-8: Keep me safe, O God, for in you I take refuge. I said to the Lord, "you are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing." I will praise the Lord, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me. I have set the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.

Think of the areas where you have been passive and unassertive with your decisions when eating. What would you be doing with your life if you knew you couldn't fail at this new way of thinking with a hunger song where we worship God, rather than run to and worship food?

I know only too well this is a tough journey. We make it tougher when we try to do it ourselves and with secular thinking and diets. But I am finding that when I turn to God on this journey and trade that yoke of slavery for the yoke of Jesus (even if just for a moment) His yoke is easier as He promises us.

This journey we are on will bring up things we have stuffed down deep. Where we have lost all hope and accept where we are as "failures". We know that is a lie. But we still keep believing it in our brokenness and fear. So I say, let us cast that lie down beneath our feet. Let us beleive that the Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. (Psalm 34:18) Let us rejoice in His truth and know that He is a God of healing and will heal our pain and hurt that has kept us in slavery to food. Then you will know the truth and the truth shall set you free. (John 8:32)

Dr. Phil who is the epitome of talking straight says: "You cannot change what you do not acknowledge". We must acknowledge what is holding us back and eradicate it from our thoughts and belief system.

We must stand in courage and boldly tell Satan he is a liar and tell him we will no longer believe his lies! We will ask the Lord to expose the fear in our lives so that we can eradicate it and cast it down beneath our feet!

Stand strong my sisters. We are on fire in this journey! We are Eden's Freedom Sisters! We don't need "no stinkin' apple" from that tree! We are the "apple" of God's eye!

Our Prayer Today

"God, many times I have failed to act courageously when given the chance. Please forgive me and expose the fear in my life. Help me to boldly live the life You have for me. Your word says that you have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with your joy in your presence. I stand on that promise Lord and claim it as mine. I will fear only You Lord for those who fear You lack nothing. I will stand strong and boldly confess You are Lord of my Life. I am victorious in you Lord! In Jesus' name, Amen."