Some friends and I have started this girls accountability group and we get together Thursday mornings, share breakfast and discuss life over tea. I think someone wanted to call it the breakfast club.

So this past week someone shared how they were struggling with thoughts and was frustrated because its not like she can necessarily control them. It was suggested to her that she started memorising scripture as a discipline because by filling our minds with truth we leave little room for our idol thoughts or lies from the enemy. I thought this was a very good idea. I mean stopping sin in actions is relatively easy, its the thought process behind it that I find difficult to beat.

So I decided to take this up myself. I only started today, but it is already bearing good fruit. Today I was driving and was thinking to myself, as I do. Lately my thoughts have been quick to dwell on the negative but the moment I had a few minutes to think, instead of thinking of how horrible I am or how bad life is, my brain went right to the verse I am memorising.

This is a discipline, and I'm not perfect in it, but I think it will be good. And I recommend to all, fill your mind with truth and leave no room for lies.

God is here.

Currently Reading - Helps to Holiness by Samuel Logan Brengle.

I just had a dream.

I was waiting for a bus and when it came my friend was on. She was telling me that a couple stops before there was a shooting and police were going to come and question everyone. On the next stop cops came on and started asking everyone if they saw the suspect and if they had I.D on them. When they asked me I said I didn't see anyone but that I had ID. The cop went to his partners and came back to me and asked for my ID and questioned me further as if I was guilty and I got a little scared. He asked me for a sample of my writing. I then said if it helps I wasn't even on the bus when this happened and I didn't know about it until after I was on. The cop gave me back my ID and let me go.

I asked the LORD for interpretation and He said "The truth has set you free", and I began to parallel it to my life. The difference I tried to argue with the LORD between my dream and my life was that I was innocent in the dream but the places I am bound in my life I am guilty for.

And the LORD said I was not. He said we are innocent because Jesus took our shame, our pain, our debts and our chains and our guilt upon the cross. He has declared us innocent.The truth has set us free. We are innocent. He who the son sets free is free indeed.

I also think the ID part of the dream in important. We must have our identity on us. We must wear who Jesus made us to be boldly and surely. Our identity is in Him - We are innocent because he freed us.

Its like the Double Jeopardy law. If someone served the time for a crime they didn't commit and then get out and commit it, they cant serve the time again. We have all been given this double jeopardy grace. Jesus already served time for our sins. He already bought and paid for our freedom - this is our identity - we are free - He who the son sets free is free indeed.The truth will set us free.

Jesus said I am the way the truth and the life.

The LORD longs to be with us. He just really really really wants to be with us. To know us, as He does, and for us to know Him. He wants to be with us so much, he will wait until we do come.

In Pray the Bible the other day (0745-0815 Monday-Thursday 596 W Hastings 3rd Floor - join us if you are in the area - a great way to start your morning) we dived into Song of Songs. This is not my favorite genre of PTB...I'm more the War-Cry-Stir-It-Up-Warrior type person. But as we were praying SoS I fell in love with Jesus...again. It's like marriage, so I'm told, your love for your lover just grows and grows...and when you think you love them as much as you can, you lover does something amazing and your love for them deepens...

I just really love the Lord. In the middle of chapter 2 Solomon writes "Rise up my darling, Rise up, come away with me my fair one"...And I began to cry. Everything in me wants to rise up and come away with my lover but it is so easy to believe the lie that I am not worthy to rise up, that I am not worthy to be with my lover.

But the truth is I am with Him. I am my beloveds and he is mine. And I do want to rise up. I do want to be with him. I want to do this because I love him so much. Intimacy is the turning point for change.

Let me say that again - INTIMACY IS THE TURNING POINT FOR CHANGE.

I don't want to change so I can be with him. I want to change because I am with him. (I made that one up myself - its good eh!)

Husbands do things like this all the time for their wives, and visa versa. In the movie "Shall We Dance" this big foot-ball guy is asked why is he taking ballroom dance lessons, as an elegant dancer didn't really fit his forte of life...his response was that he was doing it for his fiance. The reason he was willing to subject himself to something was for the sake of his lover.

Its the same with the Lord. I will rid myself of all unrighteousness for the sake of my lover. I will do whatever it takes to be with Him - not because I'm told to, or because it is the right thing to do - but because I love him so much.

God is Here
Grace,
Nicole

Currently Reading - Well nothing yet, I finished up Ill Fight and Beauty for Ashes (haha I know its about time) - but I'm looking at picking up Helps to Holiness by Samuel Logan Brengle in the next few days.

I am blind - I want new eyes.

I want to see like Jesus sees. Eyes that see into the Kingdom as opposed to the world. Eyes that see the immortal and not just the mortal. Eyes that see beauty instead of ashes. I am blind Lord Jesus I want to see - make me see.

This past week in cell (a weekly meeting where we cultivate authentic christian community - kinda like a Sunday morning meeting people often call church minus the Sunday and minus the morning and adding a lot more intimacy and acceptance) we talked about Jesus healing the blind man. Our Worship part of the cell (oh, we also focus on 5 W's - Welcome, Word, Worship, Wealth and Witness) was to split off into pairs and pray for each other.

I had the privilege of getting prayed for by a beautiful woman. She is a lady that lives in my neighborhood, she has some mental health issues and her hygiene could be improved, not someone I would typically ask for prayer from. As she prayed for me at cell though, I was moved. Her prayers were so beautiful and so sincere. Holy Spirit spoke through her big time and used her well. Her words hit my core like a double edged sword. She laid hands on my eyes and I was healed momentarily from my blindness. (My poor faith levels have since then put blinders back on - but faith vs. healing will have to be saved for another blog).

I don't get it. It is so simple. God is a miracle-man. He gives sight to the blind. He frees the captives. He delivers the sufferers. He heals the sick.

Ezekiel 36 puts is simply - I will gather you up and bring you home. I will sprinkle clean water on you and you will be clean. Your filth will be washed away. I will give you a new heart. I will put a new spirit in you.

Psalm 51 nicely adds - Wash me and I will be clean.

It doesn't get simpler then that. Not I will wash you and then after a long time you will be clean. Not I will free you from bondage after you do this and this and this and this. It is simple - he says it, it is done. Heck - It is already done. Jesus says it best "It is finished".

Yet, I never let him. I am so stubborn and so led by my flesh - I am led by my blind eyes.

I want to see.

- haha maybe as a prophetic act I can go get those green contacts I have always wanted - you know to show I have new eyes...haha

But really - I want to see. I want new eyes.

God is here.

Currently Reading - Beauty for Ashes by Joyce Meyer and I'll Fight by Phil Wall.

Grace,
Nicole

I've been in a funk. My spirit is willing but my flesh is weak. Oh Lord how I desire for my heart and my flesh to unite.

I got into a conversation last night with one of my neighbors about Spiritual Warfare. Normally a pretty exciting conversation peice for me and one I am quick to jump on...however I being where I am these days conversations like this make my head want to explode. By the Lords grace we had a fairly surface level conversation and in the end my head did not blow up.

Something was said during this conversation that has put me in a place of hmmm. He fired me off the verse "He who is in me is greater then He who is in the world." And I began to really think. If He who is in me is truely greater then He who is in the world, then why is overcoming my funk as I put it, so hard to do. Now I beleive that to be true - the whole Holy Spirit is greater then the world stuff, and I began to wonder if infact Holy Spirit was in me.

Now regardless of what my conclustion to the above became - fire me an email if your interested - the truth remains:

He who is in me is greater then he who is in the world.

Lets not be so quick to overlook that friends.


God is Here.
(is He?)


Currently Reading:
Ill Fight by Phil Wall
Beauty for Ashes by Joyce Meyer.

I would like to take this time and direct you to the following blog...

www.warroom614.blogspot.com

Check it out. Scroll to the first posting by Aaron White and read all about it. And man, this things going to fill up fast so check it regularily, theres going to be some goooooood shiz posted.

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I have so many good things to say, but I wasted my night away on watching Seth and Ryan destroy and recreate their love lives, rather then proclaiming the good news of His Grace on the world wide web. And Im off shift in 3 minutes so am unable to post em now, but dont you worry there will be some goooood things coming out from here shortly.

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As I type this I just over heard some of the guys that live here at Grace Mansion (where I work) say "Life is a death sentance".

1. Im going to log off now so I can with undiveded focus engage in this conversation
2. Im going to dwell on that and probably blog about it in the near future.

Much Grace
Nicole


God is here.