Stop Signs, Yield Signs, Crossing Signs, Highway Signs, Construction Signs, Grocery Line Signs…and the list goes on!

Directional Signs: we look for them wherever we go! We depend on them to point us in the right direction. We count on them to show us the rules and regulations. We trust them to be accurate and to give us our expectations. We get angry and frustrated when there are not enough signs or the signs are not leading us in the right direction!

Have you ever stepped onto the sidewalk at an airport, luggage in hand, strapped with everything you could over your shoulders and grabbed the handles of everything else and wheeled them in through those two large sliding doors and stood and stared? Not running to get in line or grab your luggage tags, but instead, you just stood there and stared. Look straight ahead, look to the left, look to the right…You could develop an ulcer or a strong sense of anxiety, or even fall into an anxiety attack as you simply took in the barrage of signs! 

Flat screens, larger than any TV in our homes post tons of flights, arriving, and tons of flights departing. Directional signs to TSA tell you which line you are supposed to join. Kiosks stand in front of you giving directions silently to receive your boarding pass, check your bags and receive your luggage tags. X-ray machines hold huge signs over the top stating what you can and cannot put through them or bring on board. 

How many of you like me have left frivolous items and items of importance on the other side of that x-ray machine? I know I have! I didn’t walk through that scanning with a smile on my face!

Signs can be directional, but they can also be overwhelming! Which way do we go? Which move do we make? Which sign do we trust? Which path do we follow?

Making a move in any direction in our lives, can cause the same kind of overwhelming, confused, and even lost condition! When we are changing paths for any reason in our lives, it can be anxiety producing, to say the least! It can be frightening and scary and produce fear unless we know how to let FAITH take over!

FAITH is not the absence of fear! It is the trust and confidence to step through that fear, knowing that God will show you His path!

A path we choose in life is an action that we determine. It is a a direction we move in, a step we take, a choice we make!

FAITH in God’s path for us is letting go of the signs in our life that would scream, “CAUTION, COMMON SENSE, SECURITY,  AND, I TOLD YOU SO,” and all of the other “signs” we as humans tend to live our lives by. We step through fear and doubt, and trust our God to direct our path!

“Trust in The Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6

TRUTH BOMB

THERE IS NO FEAR IN THE SURE PATH OF GOD’S LEADING!

Speak Truth Love

What fear needs to be “cast out” of your life?

What fear is keeping you from exercising the spiritual gift God has given you?

What fear is so crippling that it grips you and renders you paralyzed and unable to move forward?

What fear in your life is becoming so debilitating that it is stronger in you than the spirit God has given you?

For me, it took a crumpled piece of yellowed paper for God to cast out the fear that was keeping me from accomplishing His purpose.

As I faced walking into a setting that holds opposition to me, I began to let fear take hold, and I became confused and even questioning what I was supposed to speak! 

I do not know what gift God has blessed you with and asked you to use for His glory and for the growth of His kingdom, but for me it is, ‘Speaking His Truth in Love.’ I had already said yes when asked to speak at this event and I had already spent weeks in prayer and study of God’s Word(His Truth), and was convinced that what I had prepared was what He wanted me to share!

But as the day drew near(the literal night before), the questioning turned to doubt, and the doubt turned to fear.

I had all these pages that I had prayed over and studied staring me in the face. I had a beautiful PowerPoint presentation with the perfect graphics and versus, but my fear was louder! It began pounding in my ears like a stick on a drum. 

BAM! BAM! BAM!

It became louder and louder until it sounded so deafening that I was sure I was supposed to change my message!

As I began “tweaking” this message, I was sure no one would receive, I was reminded that I had spoken years ago on a similar subject, and I had points prepared inside of the oldest Bible that I own.

This Bible sits by my bedside and is truly my “security blanket“ in every sense of the word! My grandma, my spiritual angel, gave it to me when I left for college. It was a very vulnerable time in my life, and it has served to be my CONSTANT in every way!

God gave me a beautiful FIND that day!

I know that’s a strange word, but I can’t think of it in any other way. 

As I was struggling through the “right“ way to say things and the “right“ versus to use and the “right” way to act,  I was praying for the right scripture and I went to my security blanket… My NASB Bible that my grandma gave me. 

It’s not leather bound and it’s completely falling apart! I’ve glued the back together and it has a cover on it, but I keep it by my bed and it truly is my security blanket. 

I begin leafing through the pages, even though so many of them are literally separated and falling apart almost frantically, like I am searching for some lost treasure or something! I needed God to say something to me!

For some reason, I decided to put my hands in the side where the cover is over the back of the Bible and I felt something crunching! It wouldn’t come out and I almost gave up, but I kept pulling at it and when I pulled it out, it was a piece of paper that had my maiden name on it. The paper was yellowed from age, and it said…

Lisa Dye

Read I John 4:18&19

People, I have been married this year for 40 years! I have not been Lisa Dye for a very long time! That means this crumpled up yellowed piece of paper had to have been in my Bible for over 40 years!

I walked out into the living room, and showed it to my husband, my personal “Bible Answer Man”, who was sitting at the table studying, and when I showed it to him, he almost got tears in his eyes. And he doesn’t cry hardly ever!!l He said, Lisa that’s your verse, that’s what God is trying to say to you!”

I opened it up and read it from my security blanket… 

“There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, Because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love. We love, because he first loved us.” I John 4:18&19

God was clearly speaking to me that He wanted me to cast away my fear and trust in His perfect love! And more than that…He wanted me to share that love with all those that day that we’re going to listen!

We’ve all been given different gifts and we are to use them for His glory. No matter what obstacles, oppositions, even cruelty stands in our way! 

“God has given each of you a gift from His great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another. “I Peter  4:10

TRUTH BOMB

THE ASSURANCE WE HAVE OF GOD’S LOVE CASTS OUT ALL FEAR!

I speak from personal experience when I say that stepping out in faith when we are afraid is anything but easy to do!

But I also speak from personal experience when I say that every single time I do step out in faith when I am afraid, always casts that fear out and holds me up and accomplishes His purposes through me!

You can trust Him friend to cast out all your fear so you can move forward in faith and love others because He loves you!

Speak Truth Love

Last week we talked about the first part (Part A) to being a true friend. I confessed to you that I have spent the majority of my life, recognizing The Part A of friendship and stopping there!  

A true friend must follow all of Proverbs 17:17, both Part A and Part B!

“A Friend loves at all times, and a brother/sister is born for adversity.” Proverbs 17:17

A True Friend does love at all times, but they are also there in times of adversity!

When you are born for something you are created for it, made for it and ready for it! If we are a true friend, then yes, we love at all times, but we are also there and ready to face the adversity that our friend is facing with them.

It is during adversity that we discover who we are really for and who is really for us. 

Because adversity makes a demand on our friendship!

Adversity demands our time, our attention and at times even tangible expressions of the love that we have for someone else. It is often our opportunity to give back!

A true friend isn’t just there to celebrate a birthday, eat cake, and throw confetti! They are also there to encourage as someone heals, to listen to someone as they reveal their broken heart, to drop everything and meet the need at hand, and to give even though it hurts and costs us much.

We are not called to be a doormat, the giving should be reciprocated when you are going through adversity. But we are also not called to put up so many boundaries that we are no longer vulnerable, real, or accessible!

Only God can give us the balance required to be a true friend! And Jesus demonstrated it for us!

I like to say that Jesus had three circles of friendship. The first and largest circle is the outer circle, and it is huge and endless!

Jesus loved everyone, and we are called to love everyone with His love also!

“Love the Lord Your God, with all your heart, soul, mind and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself.” Matthew 22:38-40

The second circle is smaller and has a manageable number of friends that are trusted and true. Jesus had 12. Jesus’ 12 disciples were the friends that he did life with! He poured into them with his wisdom and knowledge and love. Our second circle must include those trusted and true friends that we have the time to pour into and be poured into by.

The third circle is the inner circle of intimacy! It is the few true friends who have shown that they love at all times and are there in adversity! For Jesus, it was Peter James and John. These friends must pass the Proverbs 17:17 test they must love at all times and be there no matter what in times of adversity!

But even a Proverbs 17:17 friend will let us down. And no matter how good of a Proverbs 17:17 Friend we are, we will let our friends down. Because in our human state we fail, we falter and we even at times FALL ASLEEP!

Jesus sets the ultimate standard for our very best friend! Jesus goes up higher, out from even his innermost circle, to the only one who never fails, falters, or falls asleep. He goes to God and so must we!

“One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin. But, there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother/sister!“ 

Proverbs 18:24

TRUTH BOMB

WHEN GOD IS OUR BEST FRIEND WE WILL NEVER BE LET DOWN!

My prayer is that we will all strive to be a true Proverbs 17:17 Friend to all those that God puts in our life! But, that we will run to our very Best Friend, God, and point our friends to Him!

Speak Truth Love

God has been speaking to me lately about what it means to be a true friend.

When we are believers, we are blessed to be a part of a sacred Sisterhood!

Our friends are not just simply our friends, they are sisters in Christ!

While we may all “walk to the beat of a different drum,” with our own unique personalities and skills, we follow the same Savior. His words are the ones we listen to above all others and His ways are the ones we walk in despite the different paths we could go down!

In this world and culture we live in, there are so many loud voices vying for our attention! There are so many paths to choose and directions to follow. We, too easily, can become confused and allow foreign voices to speak louder than our Saviors’ voice! 

I am thankful to God for being a part of His family! I love that He has given me a sacred sisterhood to help me navigate His paths and hear His voice, the loudest. I never want to take my sisterhood for granted. I want to be a true friend! 

On my own, I am not able. But with God, I know that He can make me more than able! His word speaks loud and clear to what a true friend is!

Proverbs 17:17

“A true Friend loves at all times…”

For years and years I have listened to this verse and used it as my roadmap for being a true friend.

A true Friends love is consistent! It “loves it all times!“ It is not dependent on convenience or availability. It is always there without conditions!

A true friend love is dependable! It can be counted on! It follows I Corinthians 13:5,

“…it does not insist on it’s own way, it is not irritable or resentful.”

This list can be exhausting and difficult to live by. It can make us want to run the other way and throw in the towel!

But remember, we are not just any sisterhood…we are a sacred sisterhood! We have the help of our Savior to be who He has called us to be in the lives of those we love!

But if you find that list, long and exhausting…buckle your seatbelts! What God has been showing me is that I have been living my life in my sisterhood, with only half of the verse He has called me to love my sisters by.

“A true friend loves at all times,

and a brother/sister is born for adversity!”  Proverbs 17:17

There is a comma, not a period after,

“A friend loves at all times,”

I am not just called to love my friends, I am also called to be there in times of adversity!

During adversity, we discover what kind of a friend we really are.

Why? Because adversity makes a demand on our friendship. It demands our time, attention, and even tangible expressions of our love for our sisters.

A true friend isn’t just there to celebrate with you. They are also there to encourage you, to build you up, to support you and yes, even at times to redirect you when you’ve gotten off the Savior’s path!

TRUTH BOMB

A TRUE FRIEND IN CHRIST REALIZES FRIENDSHIP IS A SACRED SISTERHOOD!

I developed three prayers for me to follow so that God can help me be the true friend He’s called me to be.

I would love to share them with you and ask you to pray them through this week with me! Then, if you’ll meet me back here on the Blog next week, I’ll share the second half of God’s call to sacred sisterhood for all of us!

Spoiler alert…HE IS SMACK DAB IN THE MIDDLE OF IT!

Prayer Points

*1)  God, help me know that you and you alone, are my best friend!

“I will never leave you or forsake you.”Hebrews 13:5b

*2) God, please help me to have your wisdom and discernment in knowing who my true friends are.“

“A friend loves at all times,“ Proverbs 17:17a

*3) God, help me be the friend that you have called me to be for my friends.

“…and a brother/sister is born for adversity.”Proverbs 17:17b

AMEN!

Speak Truth Love

Happy Resurrection Sunday!

He has risen! He has risen, indeed!!

The Lenten season is over.

My time of fasting from social media has come to an end! 

Staying off of social media was refreshing. 

Not writing my Bblog, and posting it on social media was excruciating!

But my commitment to God, for my Lenten fast, was to focus completely on God and listen for His voice only and allow no other voices in! 

Today, however, is the day that ended my fast. But far greater than that, it is the day that ended hopelessness for all mankind! 

Jesus Christ conquered the grave, rose from the dead, and ascended into heaven, giving us all who receive Him eternal life! That is our blessed Hope!

God has given me a gift to Speak His Truth in Love! Not having an outlet to do that for 40 days was rough! 

When God gives us a spiritual gift, He wants us to use it for His glory.  

God clearly called me away from it for a time, to focus completely on Him! But I am praising Him today, that I’m back to exercising it!

Resurrection Sunday is proceeded by two very difficult days. In Christendom we call them Good Friday, and Silent Saturday. This year especially, they held great meaning for me, and a solemn soberness. God encouraged me, as I was reading through the gospels, to put myself in the place of His followers!

Unlike me, on this side of the cross, they did not know what I know! When Jesus was taken from them, and was beaten, tortured, mocked, and nailed to a cross, they did not know what was going to happen on Sunday.

Their beloved Rabbi, that they had left business and family to follow, was taken away by the very government they had hoped Him to overthrow. Not only that, the religious leaders had accused Him, and found Him guilty of blasphemy, and cried out for His crucifixion! 

As His followers stood by shocked and fearful, listening to the crowds cry, “crucify him, crucify him,” all their hopes seemed hopeless.

They had to be filled with disillusionment and were brokenhearted. Their hope had turned to hopelessness!

Have you found yourself lately being disillusioned? Have those you’ve loved and trusted let you down? Have you endured circumstances that have left you brokenhearted? Have you watched your dreams crumble and you have turned from Hope to hopelessness? If so, then you understand what the followers of Jesus were enduring!

Have you found yourself confused, perplexed and losing hope like these two disciples on the road to Emaus?

When asked what their attitude was about Jesus and his crucifixion and death they responded…

“But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things have happened.” Luke 24:21

Their disillusionment had become so strong that it was turning in to brokenhearted hopelessness! They were walking beside Jesus himself, and not even recognizing they were on the road with their living Savior.

Have you been walking on your own “road to Emaus”, for so long that your Hope has turned to hopelessness? Do you find yourself disillusioned by circumstances that don’t change? Or even worse, are you brokenhearted as you witness circumstances in your life, not changing and you know that, even though God has the power to change them, He has not changed them yet?

If so, you are still living in, “Silent Saturday!” Everything is still and unchanged! It feels like the dream has died, and circumstances will never change.

This is the true definition of walking by faith, and not by sight! We can’t see what God is doing! We don’t hear what He is saying! But Faith tells us that we can have hope because we know that our God is faithful even in the silence!

In our disillusionment and brokenheartedness we are called to walk by faith in the waiting, just like the disciples were over 2000 years ago as they followed Jesus and watched Him go to the cross, and be buried in a tomb.

We can have Hope today, because our faith has been made sight by the empty tomb!

We serve a Risen Savior, and He is in the world today! He is in our hearts and lives each and every day, even when we see Him or don’t see Him, even when we hear Him or don’t hear Him yet!

HE IS ALIVE! And through His resurrection our hopelessness is turned to hope!

TRUTH BOMB

Our hopelessness is turned to hope in the resurrection of Jesus!

In closing friends, I leave you with these words of encouragement;

“May the God of Hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that, by the power of the Holy Spirit, you may abound in hope!”  Romans 15:13

It’s so good to be back! Looking forward to continuing Truth Bomb Tuesdays with you! See you there!

Speak Truth Love