Are you broken?

Leviticus 26: 12 - 13

I will walk among you; I will be your God, and you will be my people. I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt so you would no longer be their slaves. I broke the yoke of slavery from your neck so you can walk with your heads held high.

 

Do you feel shattered? Crippled? Broken?

Oh, these two verses should speak to your heart. God walks among us and we are His.

When I looked up original meanings to broke it meant the same things that we are shattered, crippled, broken and I thought how cool is that God breaks all of these things and takes them away from us so that we are upright or hold our heads high. God is so good. Do you think you are in a spot all by your lonesome? Are you feeling the weight of the world and you are being held down and nothing will let you come out from the feeling of bondage? Well, let God break the feelings. How?

Ask Him? Talk to Him…it's not hard. Just say Lord, please help me…I am so lost and I need to feel your mighty arms of love wrapped around this broken woman. I need to know you. Just share with all your being and I promise you feel His mighty love flow through you. I know, because He does it for me!

Feeling oh so loved,

Debbie

Pleasing Aroma?

Leviticus

The last few days have been tough reading for me. The details are so important to God. Over and over he gives the details that he wants followed and some of this is difficult for us to grasp.

Yesterday, Frankie pointed out to me that - God stated in Leviticus 14 that I may contaminate some of
your houses in your land with mildew…and then He gave instructions of how to treat the houses. She was asking what I thought about it and truthfully we she asked me I had not read yet. I came home picked it and pondered it. I wrote to the side is this about obedience? I think all of these chapters are God and the people being obedient…were they or weren't they…He gave the rules and were they going to follow them.

Today, I was struck in Leviticus 17 about burn the fat and that this would be a pleasing aroma to the LORD. So I looked up the original meaning of aroma and it stated a soothing odour to the terms of a sacrifice to God, fragrance…I thought are we a pleasing aroma to God? Am I?

Difficult reading with little details that mean so very much…God loves the details. God is in the details and difficult as this reading is He is in these details. I feel Him saying Debbie that wasn't pleasing to me or you weren't being obedient to me, but at the same time I feel Him at times saying Debbie you got it right this time ~ Yes, keep going or Debbie, you smell good today…

Does any of this make sense? Do you smell good today? Is your aroma pleasing to God?

 

Sweet blessings,

Debbie

God shows up!

Leviticus 9:24

Fire blazed forth from the Lord's presence and consumed the burnt offering and the fat on the altar. When the people saw this, they shouted with joy and fell face down on the ground.

Fire alone is so powerful. It consumes so quickly.

Next week, will be two years since I watched fire consume my home. I will never forget how quickly the fire moved in the rooms I loved. It was powerful, it was dirty, it was so scary and this was not a fire that the Lord's presence was in…when I imagine the power of the LORD behind or in the fire it boggles my mind.

It had to have been all consuming and holy at the same time. It had to have a glory feeling to it because the people shouted with joy and fell to the ground to worship the LORD. The words above really got my attention because it made me go back to the fire in my home. Absolutely nothing about that fire gave a good feeling at the time it happened. These people worshipped immediately they felt God's presence ~ I worshipped later that day when God showed up in a letter in my driveway. I prayed Lord show me you are here and this letter answered my prayer exactly. I worshipped. I knew that God was with me! He is so powerful and shows up in such mighty ways.

Thank you Father for showing up!

Consumed by His Love,

Debbie

Forgiven

Leviticus 6:7

Making you right with him, and you will be forgiven for any of these sins you have committed.

 

Have you trespassed against someone?

Have you been pardoned?

Have you been covered?

Are you reconciled?

Over and over in the reading today the words making you right with the Lord and you will be forgiven were used. Over and Over…Do we get it?

The cross made us right with the Lord. Jesus took it and covered us. He reconciled us and yet we try to gloss over the blood of Christ.

Today, the reading was over and over the blood of something…the blood of a young bull, the blood of sheep, turtledoves, pigeons, rams…The blood of Christ on the cross is what it took for me to be forgiven and reconciled…

Because of Christ I am right with God, but only if I realize this important fact and do we get it?

God is in the details. The past few days of reading have been difficult. It is hard to read the details of offerings and sacrifice that had to be given to be reconciled, but it is important! All of this matters and most important the words you will be forgiven are important! Don't forget them!!!

Forgiven,

Debbie

Lord’s Command

Numbers 9:23

So they camped or traveled at the LORD'S command, and they did whatever the LORD told them to do through Moses.

Reading today and considering the facts about women…being one and all…I thought can you imagine they had no say when it was time to clean up camp and go…We women like to plan or the majority do…

We have our calendars, daytimers, and we schedule our time. We plan ahead. We know what is right around the bend. Not the women traveling with Moses, they had to be ready to pick up their home and go.

Imagine, you might be there two days, a month or a year, but you did not know.

Some of this would be nice. You wouldn't be the one making the decisions, you wouldn't be the one that changed the plans, and you wouldn't be the one trying to answer the question of how much longer mom? I remember we would get in the car when we were little and it never failed…Pam would ask how much further or where are we going to have lunch. It didn't matter if it was momma or daddy, Pam would immediately start with the questions about distance or the next meal. I read this today and thought none of those parents had to deal with those questions.

Children traveling with Moses would have learned early that The Lord decided when they moved and where they went. Imagine it. You never knew where you were going to camp you just put one foot in front of the other until The Lord stopped. I think this is hard for us to comprehend. We are in a society where even the children make decisions about where they are going ~ not that I agree but they do. In some families they determine all of these decisions. It is difficult to grasp because even though we should STILL consult and follow the Lord with every decision ~ we don't. I try, but sometimes I just jump right in and then ask God to go along with my choice. Usually in this setting things don't go really well…it seems that I have a lot of bumps along this path whereas if I take the path of consulting and then waiting for my answer from God the journey goes much smoother. What about you?

Trying to follow the Command,

Debbie

Will I?

Exodus 35:22

Both men and women came, all whose hearts were willing.

Gave freely…

Hearts were stirred and spirits were moved…

Gave them freely to the Lord…

Men and women don't bring any more gifts we have enough…

Wow, God spoke and people responded.

I am always amazed after a tragedy at the willing spirits to give and help. Recently, the situation in Haiti is an example.

I am always reminded of a billboard that I ride by a lot of the homeless man and the only thing written is Did you feed me? Did you clothe me?

We walk past people daily that need help. Do we willingly respond or do we pretend that we don't notice?

Pondering just how willing of a spirit do I have daily not just after a major horrible tragedy,

Debbie

Shine

Exodus 34: 29-35

…he wasn't aware that his face had become radiant because he had spoken to the LORD. …

Please read this entire daily ready for yourself. (February 11 reading from Chronological Bible) I am truly awed by this reading today. So much information, so many awesome things. I am going to touch on several things that spoke to me today.

First, the passage above. Moses was radiant. So radiant that the commentaries stated that Moses probably looked like he did in the transfiguration story in Matthew 17. He shined out it was like two horns of rays coming from his head. It was so glorious that people were in awe or afraid because they knew Moses had been with God. He was shining with God's glory. Imagine!

The word tells us that Moses wore a veil. Do you know why? The people could not bear the brightness, but he uncovered himself with the veil when he would go to meet with God. Again, do you know why? Because he still paled in comparison to God. It doesn't matter how good you are you will always pale in comparison to God.

Next point was how quickly we fail. Moses and God were on the mountain and the people became impatient. So what did they do? They demanded Aaron make them a god…Yeah, right. How could they think this so soon after their time with God? I wrote to the side of this passage ~ out of sight, out of mind…don't we do this?

Did you catch that God wanted to let His anger blaze against them? Moses interceded with trying to pacify the Lord. I'm thinking he was begging for forgiveness. Imagine Moses proceeds down the mountain hear the celebrating and his anger begins to rise. Enough that when he sees the camp he throws down the tablets God wrote with His own finger…

It goes on to tell us that the Levites had to kill their own brothers, friends, neighbors because the Lord ordered it. They obeyed.

So much in the reading today that I just can't stop…

Look in Exodus 32: 8-11..

When Moses would go into the Tent of Meeting all people would go to the entrance of their own tent. They would watch Moses disappear inside and pillar of cloud would come down over the entrance of the tent. The Lord would speak to Moses face to face like a meeting with a friend. Moses would leave and the young man, named Joshua would stay behind in the Tent of Meeting. What do you think God was talking to Joshua about? Was he already preparing Joshua? Imagine this next leader was staying behind in the tent…Wow!

The last thing that grabbed me was in Exodus 34: 1…The Lord told Moses to chisel two stone tablets like the first one. This time he told Moses to prepare the stones. Last time God had them and did everything. This time God will still write them, but Moses would work and bring two new stones with him. Do you think this might be because Moses smashed them? After all, God pointed out you smashed them…

Don't you just love God's word? Don't you love the fact that truly He is very much alive in this world? He is alive and at work in this dark world we reside in, but HE brings the LIGHT, HE is the LIGHT and we are to let HIS LIGHT shine through us!!!

 

Let it shine,

Debbie

God writes

Exodus 31:18

When the LORD finished speaking with Moses on Mount Sinai, he gave him the two stone tablets inscribed with the terms of the covenant, written by the finger of God.

Wow, image…

The letters cut by God himself!

One of the commentaries about this passage stated that this seem to be the time that the introduction of letters among the Hebrews began. Remember it stated that Moses was educated in wisdom, but no mention of writing. So, God's assistance is writing the tablets himself. Think for a moment, if Moses knew how to write I think God would have dictated all the instructions for him to write. Imagine it Moses take this down…

Anyway, no evidence of anything in writing in the Hebrew world until the laws was given on Mount Sinai to Moses. So the evidence is that the writing was given by God not man.

God gave us the first writings with His Own Finger…

The other reminder that I will once again take away from this reading is about taking the Sabbath day of rest. It reminds us that even God rested. It assures us that we will refreshed, if we follow these instructions…anybody in need of being refreshed?

Powerful reading today with details, reminders, and instructions …

Praising God,

Debbie

Details

Exodus 25: 22

I will meet you there and talk to you…

God will meet us there and talk. Where do you meet with God?

I meet with Him a lot in my car. I talk and He listens. I always wonder how will the answer come and in what form. Will it be a friend? Perhaps someone I don't much like? The Word?

It does come sometimes in the silence…

Today's reading encouraged me even though it was so detailed.

The details reminded me just how much God cares about everything. He is into the details of everything. He is very specific with His desires, His designs, His creativity just look around you.

Today for the picture I typed in details and the pictures were of the ocean, the corn ear, the wheat field, the nature stream, a flower, a bug, a bird, the moon, the stars, a strawberry, a apple, a pile of rocks, the dirt road, the beach, a rushing stream, a waterfall…the list went on and on. I thought isn't it true? God was into the details of everything He ever designed, which is everything including you and me.

So today when He meets you there and you visit, remember to praise Him for all the details of the beauty He alone designed! Praise Him for the precision, the beauty, the awe-inspiring detail work that He alone provides!

Praising Him,

Debbie

Blue lapis

Exodus 24: 10 – 11

There they saw the God of Israel. Under his feet there seemed to be a surface of brilliant blue lapis lazuli, as clear as the sky itself. And though these nobles of Israel gazed upon God, he did not destroy them. In fact, they ate a covenant meal, eating and drinking in his presence!

The instructions had been given. Now the Lord was going to share a meal with His people ~ WOW!

Imagine…Underneath God's foot was something brilliant like blue lapis and the people were gazing at God. He was sharing the time with His people.

Do you think they were able to eat?

Do you think they got it?

It boggles my brain. Imagine you are going to share a very important meal, sealing a covenant (a promise) with God. Do you think you could have eaten?

I know on must lesser occasions, I get nervous and can't eat…

Here they were with God ~ Wow!

God was allowing the special leaders to be in his presence! To see brilliant blue lapis underneath his feet and to gaze upon HIM and to share a meal what more could these leaders have desired?

And yet we know what is coming in just a few chapters - grumbling, worship of other gods…how does this happen? How did this happen? The leaders that had been in God's presence allowed this to happen and yet they had gazed upon God…How could this happen?

Mere humans aren't we? It doesn't take long to forget…just a few chapters for these folks.

What about us?

Longing,

Debbie

Rescued!

Exodus 20:1

"I am the Lord your God, who rescued you…

Yes, how many times?

I can't even hazard a guess how many times God has rescued me that I'm aware of and it boggles my mind to think about the times He saved me and I didn't even know it!!! Ponder that for awhile!

Yes, it is beyond my little small brain to fathom the rescues that God has done for me…just me!

I haven't even thought about the ones for you..or you…or you…or you….

Thank you Lord for loving each of us so much that you gave your Son for each of us! Also, thank you for the times that you rescue us and we have the audacity to think we did it…or that it was luck…No Lord it is always you and unfortunately we forget to say thanks! Thank you Father for the rescues and most of all for loving me…

So loved,

Debbie

Whose banner?

Exodus 17:15

Yahweh-nissi – "the LORD is my banner"

I am a happy woman!

No it's not because my two favorite teams are in the super bowl, but they are! So I win either way! Yes, I live in Louisiana…but I love Indianapolis too! Don't be mad! It's true I will win the super bowl either way it goes…not the point of this writing though.

My point is I don't fly a flag for the Saints or the Colts ~ My banner flies for the LORD!

I know in this day and age we seem to take things to extremes. I am really ready for the game to be over. It is all you hear about and I love football, but in the big scope of life how much does this game truly matter? I love football a lot. I watch it throughout the season, Saturdays I watch game after game…Sunday, more games ~ so I love football. Point being extremes…extreme football, extreme news, extreme scandals…do we do anything in small doses?

It just seems we get things a little out of balance…oh well, just thoughts to ponder whose banner are you flying?

Sweet blessings,

Debbie

Battle ahead

Exodus 13:17

"If the people are faced with a battle, they might change their minds and return to Egypt."

Above God is telling Moses to take the longer road around because if the people come to a battle, they might turn around and return to slavery rather than fight. How often is this us?

We encounter a battle that we aren't expecting, but rather than follow through we return to the old habit, way of life, whatever it is that holds us captive. We are promised a land of milk and honey, but rather than fight a battle we might give up and run back to slavery. Doesn't sound like much of a choice, but we are guilty of this aren't we?

Just this week, I was in a meeting and I was seeking counsel about a situation in my life. The kind man counseling me told me ~ Debbie in Ephesians doesn't God tell us to put on the full armor of God? I said yes…Do you know why he tells us to put on the armor of God? We are headed to war. It isn't easy to follow God's way and you need your armor. I've read the about putting on the armor of God and never thought of it as I'm going to war, but this week I did. I felt God so strongly telling me put it on Debbie stay the course. I then pick up the reading today and I felt God telling me you are going to face battles, don't change the course I have you on…Stick with it…Don't return to what is comfortable, what you know…I have other plans for you.

I went on to read and was so comforted with the words Moses shared in Exodus 14: 13 ~

Don't be afraid. Just stand still and watch the Lord rescue you today. …The Lord himself will fight for you. Just stay calm.

At times I am afraid and The Word reminds me that I am to let the Lord rescue me and fight for me. At times, it feels like I am headed into a mine field just like the picture shows. I don't know where to place my foot, or which route to take, but at those moments God places someone like my mentor in my journey to remind me put on your armor…Be ready and then watch The Lord fight for me!

Thank you Lord for always reminding me in the most intense moments to stay calm and let YOU fight the battle and rescue me!

Rescued,

Debbie

Pests along the way

Exodus 8:19

"This is the finger of God!"

Today, I was struck with just how often I am so like the awful, miserable Pharaoh. It saddens me to admit it, but it is true.

I travel along this journey of life things going along pretty well and hit a bump in the road. I turn to God things get better and oops I'm back a little bit further away, a little further away and then oops where did God go in my life? Absolutely nowhere, I did.

Pharaoh knew that God could take away the frogs, the gnats, the flies, but he would agree to rid himself of the ugly and then immediately go back to the way he did things before with the Hebrew people still not allowed to go like God requested. I find it interesting that God requested rather than just taking his people out. God always allows us to choose to follow Him, but he may place a few frogs, gnats, etc. in our path along the way. Have you ever thought about that before? I always want to blame evil when an aggravation gets in my path. I never really thought about God placing these pests in my journey to get my attention, but I will from now on.

Do you ever find yourself looking more like Pharaoh than you desire? Am I alone in realizing just how awful I might be at times?

I pray that the next time God wants me to look at things a different way, I listen that I won't have to dodge the frogs, gnats and especially the boils…I pray that the next time God wants me to focus on His desires that I don't have to continually be bombarded with the pests along the way…I pray that I will realize that I don't want to be like the awful Pharaoh and have a harden heart that continually closes his heart to God and to the plans God desires for me!

After all, it is just like the scripture tells us in Exodus 8 ~

Then you will know that there is no one like the Lord our God.

Believing,

Debbie

Wow, what a woman!

Exodus 4:24-26

On the way to Egypt, at a place where Moses and his family had stopped for the night, the LORD confronted him and was about to kill him. But Moses' wife Zipporah, took a flint knife and circumcised her son. She touched his feet with the foreskin and said, "Now you are a bridegroom of blood to me." (When she said "a bridegroom of blood," she was referring to the circumcision.) After that the LORD left him alone.

Wow, this is the only recorded incident of anything Zipporah did and what an incident it was! Imagine, this woman took care of something that she immediately realized Moses had not taken care of himself circumcising their youngest son.

Moses must have been shocked. He after all had been spending time with God getting instructions and all of the sudden how things changed. God was angry with Moses. When God lets us be reminded that something isn't quite right with us HE wants us to respond quickly to make things right.

Imagine this woman understanding what they had not done with this son. A very important act that had been left undone. One commentary mentioned that in the region they were living they sometimes let young boys live to be about 13 before taking care of this rite. God had given instructions on when this was to occur and Moses had not followed the rules.

Zipporah had to have been a strong woman with quick thinking skills. She knew the laws herself and realized what was needed. Her name in Hebrew means "bird" other meanings are trumpet, beauty, and mourning. Imagine the trumpet sounding that went off around that place they stopped at for the night after all of these happenings. A mother protecting her little birds. Think about a momma bird and how upset she becomes when you come to close to her nest…Zipporah knew and she took care of her baby. What a beautiful woman and what a beautiful way to be remembered in your only recorded act in the bible taking care of your family and God being happy with your actions that it is recorded! She saved her man and God let it be recorded.

Wow, what a way to be remembered!

Blessings,

Debbie

But…

Exodus 4:10 – 13

But Moses pleaded with the Lord, "O Lord, I'm not very good with words, I never have been, and I'm not now, even though you have spoken to me. I get tongue-tied, and my words get tangled." Then the Lord asked Moses, "Who makes a mouth? Who decides whether people speak or do not speak, hear or do not hear, see or do not see? Is it not I, the Lord? Now go! I will be with you as you speak and I will instruct you in what to say." But Moses again pleaded, "Lord, please! Send anyone else."

I've always studied these verses. Mostly, because I feel a lot like Moses did. I don't like speaking out at times, but feel called to share what God is doing in my life.

This morning it hit me in a different way throughout these passages Moses, kept saying but, but, but…excuse after excuse and he was chosen by God. How often do we continue to say but God…like he doesn't already know all the pieces to the puzzle. I am continually amazed that we or maybe it is just me that I might help God out by pointing out one point He might has missed.

 

Reading this morning God already knew that Moses was not great speaking. He already knew that he had a tendency to get tongue tied and the words tangled, but He reminded Moses without just screaming at him…I made you Moses, I will give the words, I will do the speaking …it is not you. It is ME…the great I AM WHO I AM…

Does anyone else realize how full of excuses we are to God? I can't do that God, I'm busy, I can't do that God, I'm not good at it and the whole time it's not us anyway it's HIM! He wants to use people broken, people limping, people crying, people that other people know are so less than so it makes an impact on others. Think back over your journey who did God use to speak to you? Was it someone perfect or someone broken? Was it someone willing to speak even though you could tell it wasn't easy it was difficult? Was it someone that just listened and followed what the great I AM told them to do?

Don't miss out when God instructs you with the BUT I CAN'T, because it isn't you anyway it is the GREAT I AM!

Following His Mighty Lead,

Debbie