The Lord Is My Portion

Through the Lord ’s mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “Therefore I hope in Him!” 

~Lamentations 3:22‭-‬24 NKJV

How many times have you been in a spot when you feel like you are being consumed by sadness, anxiety, or worry? I have been thinking about this very thing and realized that all three have consumed me more than once because I have allowed my focus to shift. Instead of being on God and His mercies and faithfulness I look at the problem. I focus so hard on it that everything around me fades away. All the goodness, love, and hope seems so far away when I focus on the problem.

The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, To the soul who seeks Him. It  is good that one should hope and wait quietly For the salvation of the Lord . ~Lamentations 3:25‭-‬26 NKJV

When I shift my focus back to God and seek His truth and guidance the problem seems smaller. It may not go away but now there is hope that I will overcome it.

Let him sit alone and keep silent, Because God has laid it on him; ~Lamentations 3:28 NKJV

Remember those times our Messiah went to be alone to pray. There are times we need to leave the chaos and find a spot that is quiet. We need to sit in His presence. Cry out to Him and listen for His voice. In those quiet moments as we breathe and calm our hearts we will gain insight into what God wants us to do. It is in those quiet moments that we find rest and peace. How much rest and peace do we find when we focus on the problem? None!

Saturday night as I opened my bible and let fall where it may - it opened these passages from Lamentations. I wondered why at first then realized that I had been in a state of darkness and sadness. A place where I felt alone and was trying to climb out alone. I didn't think God wanted to hear my lament, my pain, my worries, and my cries. Then I read this chapter of Lamentations and realized I was allowing the enemy to cloud my mind and keep me from communicating with my Father.

I called on Your name, O Lord , From the lowest pit. You have heard my voice: “Do not hide Your ear From my sighing, from my cry for help.” You drew near on the day I called on You, And said, “Do not fear!” O Lord, You have pleaded the case for my soul; You have redeemed my life.

~Lamentations 3:55‭-‬58 NKJV

When you are feeling out of sorts and wondering if God wants to hear your cries for help - He does!! Find your quiet place and sit with Him, talk to Him, and soak in His Presence.

❤🙏 Love  Crissy 🤓

Flashback Friday: Stormy Day (May 3, 2013)

A storm is brewing,

I feel it in my bones.

I am trying to hold on to sanity,

Trying to hold on to You.

I see it coming,

A dust storm miles long.

I stand, hoping to be strong.

It hits me,

feels like a thousand bullets riddling my body.

But still I stand,

Staggering a bit, unsure if I will make it.

The winds began to howl,

I want to run and hide,

But I have cowered to long in darkness.

Please help me stand.

The world is frigid, my body trembles,

Although warmth from Your light fills my heart,

I am afraid the inimical winds will snuff it out

before I find shelter.

I cry out, inside

Can you hear me?

I find it hard to utter the words

that form within my heart.

Dirt fills my lungs,

I can only cough.

But I stand for one more day,

My head may hang low,

My shoulders may sag,

My legs may wobble,

But I will stand.

Negativity can spew it’s hatred,

Storms can come and try to break me,

I may bend but I will not be broken!

Even in my darkest hour

I will shine.

Today the storm may come.

Tomorrow the Son will shine.

Crissy Johnson 

May 3, 2013

Loyal In Faith

Loyal is defined by Google as - giving or showing firm and constant support or allegiance to a person or institution. It's synonyms are -faithful, true, steadfast, devoted, reliable, trustworthy. It's antonym is treacherous.

As I read through all of those words I was evaluating my faith walk. Have I been loyal? Have I been true, steadfast, and devoted to God's word? Have I been faithful so that others know where I stand without me having to say anything? Have I been reliable when someone needs prayer, encouragement, or any kind of help I am able to give? Have I been trustworthy? 

Yes and no. Those days when I have stepped out of being loyal in my faith walk things do get treacherous! The waves of temptation and chaos can swallow me up if I lose that focus on being loyal to God. He is the one that can calm the storm or just calm me in the midst of it, but only if I am loyal in keeping my focus on Him and keep communicating with Him. 

This was an eye opening word for me. It forced me to see where I am right now and where I need to be. When you think of the word loyal what does it bring to your mind?

Love Adonai , you faithful of his. Adonai preserves the loyal, but the proud he repays in full. ~Psalm 31:24

This is part of Five Minute Friday's Link-Up

He is the Way Maker

For about two weeks now I have been listening to a song, in English and Spanish, over and over. There are times I find a song that speaks so deeply to my heart that I wake up singing it in the morning, literally, it will be playing in my head and I will sing it out loud.

"Way Maker, Miracle Worker, Promise Keeper, Light in the darkness, My God, that is who You are."

It is such a beautiful reminder of who God is and what He does for us. I know many people deal with depression as I do and that makes it hard to see all these amazing attributes of God sometimes. We have to look a little harder and walk in faith even when we can't see His hand at work.

"Even when I don't see it, You're working. Even when I don't feel it, You're working. You never stop, You never stop working. You never stop, You never stop working."

Even those days when things seem the darkest and there is no way out of that hole you feel like you are in, He is working. He is working to show us His love. He is working to bring us out of the darkness we just have to set our eyes on the Light.

There was a man sent from God whose name was Yochanan. He came to be a testimony, to bear witness concerning the light; so that through him, everyone might put his trust in God and be faithful to him. He himself was not that light; no, he came to bear witness concerning the light. This was the true light, which gives light to everyone entering the world.

Yochanan (John) 1:6‭-‬9 CJB

The Light, our Messiah, that is who we need to focus on. Look to Him for guidance and how to deal with the world. He prayed. He followed the Father's commands. He loved. He lived a life void of sin. Of course we are not going to live a life completely void of sin, we are only human afterall, but we can avoid as much of that sin as possible. When we allow certain things on our lives by our choices that is when the darkness gets thicker and way out more obscure.

He forgave. He was kind. He was gentle. He was honest. He was bold. He was willing to speak the truth even when it caused Him to be unpopular and took Him to His death.

Can we be this way with others and with ourselves? While we are in our "pit" of our own choice or due to circumstances beyond our control, can we focus on the Light? Can we believe these words....

"Way Maker, Miracle Worker, Promise Keeper, Light in the darkness, My God, that is who You are."

"Even when I don't see it, You're working. Even when I don't feel it, You're working. You never stop, You never stop working. You never stop, You never stop working."


Way Maker

To Be Loved

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only and unique Son, so that everyone who trusts in him may have eternal life, instead of being utterly destroyed. 

~Yochanan (Jhn) 3:16 CJB

The ultimate kind of love. As believers we read this, we memorize it, but done truly believe in His love for us? 

We live defeated and hopeless. We look in the mirror and say negative and hurtful things about ourselves. We see people walk by and think or say those same types of things. We claim to love God but do we?

Love is...

"not proud, rude or selfish, not easily angered, and it keeps no record of wrongs."

1 Corinthians (1 Co) 13:5 (CJB)

I read a meme awhile back that rely hit home and it made me sit back and evaluate myself. Was I claiming to love God yet hate people? Generally I am not a hateful person but I found myself feeling those stirrings of anger and resentment towards a few people who had hurt me or hurt people I loved. It is not a good place to be. Even if they hurt me or those I love I need to forgive them and give that anger and resentment to God.

Easier said than done! Oh, but it is worth it! Life is so much more beautiful when we love and allow ourselves to be loved. It is peaceful and filled with kindness and grace.

Will you let go of hate today and live God's love out?

This post is part of Five Minute Friday's

Hand-me-downs

A few days ago I was telling a friend about  my hand-me-down "vintage" television that needs to be smacked a few times during our shows to get the picture back on. I sit on a couch that is at least 20 years old. I have clothes that were given to me by friends and some of them are thrift store buys.

I caught myself complaining and feeling like I "need" new things. I begin feeling angry about circumstances and lack of what I believe I need. Instead of thanking God for all the blessings and memories these hand-me-downs bring to mind. The Holy Spirit convicted my heart! **Ouch**

Today as I sat on the bed and looked down at my favorite old comforter, I see that the batting inside has come apart in places and is clumped up in the corner a bit. It is faded and there is a small snag in it. Oh, but it is so soft to the touch and brings such comfort to lay under it. Each piece of old furniture, old books, even that television that gets us off the couch more than once during one show to be smacked all have a memory of where they came from that in most cases brings a smile to my face.

Growing up my mom always took us to church services every Sunday morning, night, and sometimes even on Wednesday night. I would sit in bible class for my age group and soak in everything they taught. I would sit in the auditorium and listen to the preacher with the intention to learn something. As I got older and got my first Bible I would underline scripture and  carry it with me wherever I would go. I read the book of Revelation first and it made want to know more, I was about 10 years old then. Soon I began taking notes during the sermons and telling anyone who would listen what I learned. Before I was a teenager I wanted to join the teen class and go to the teenage Christian conferences because I wanted to learn more.  At 14 years old I committed my life through baptism (Acts 2:38) to God. At 15 years old I helped with Vacation Bible School in Juarez, Mexico. I lived to serve the Lord. 

If it wasn't for my mom's "hand-me-down faith" I may never have known God on a personal level. I may never have known the hope, love, and peace that a relationship with Him provides. I don't believe in Him just because my mom does, I believe because I have seen Him work in my life. I read His word diligently and pray to know Him better. I chose to make that faith mybown that she showed me by taking me to a place to learn about and worship Him. 

In every hand-me-down there is a precious gift, a memory of a time past, and a story to tell. Do you have a hand-me-down that holds a special place in your heart?

My first Bible. Someday I hope to hand this down to someone.

Woman, You Are Beautiful

Diana Rockwell (click her name to go to her blog), a sister in the Lord and great writer invited me to join the Five Minute Friday link-up. It is a time to write for 5 minutes about the word of the week, this week that word is woman.

"And Adam said: “This is now bone of my bones And flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, Because she was taken out of Man." ~Genesis 2:23 (NKJV)

During creation God saw that the man he created needed a helper so out of man he fashioned a woman. I always think about this idea of Eve being fashioned from the rib of Adam and it brings to mind being a protector of his heart. Hearts are a fragile thing, they can be broken and the despair that can fill it when it is hurt can kill the spirit of a person.

As I sit here writing for these few minutes I imagine my marriage, my role as a helper to my husband. How can I protect his heart from pain? God brings to mind encouragement, prayer, words of love daily. As a woman I know I need this as well and want the gifts that God has bestowed upon me to be used in such a way that I can build up and strengthen my marriage, relationships with other women, and my role as a woman in this world.

I love to write and I am now realizing that this is on way I can share that gift with other women around the world. Sister's you are a delight in God's eyes. He loves you with an everlasting and unconditional love! Embrace your unique personality, gifts, and your purpose! Love yourself so much that is will flow right out of you can envelop every woman you come in contact with. Not with a prideful love but a beautiful, humble, kind love that comes from knowing God personally.

Every wise woman builds up her home, but a foolish one tears it down with her own hands. ~Proverbs 14:1 (CJB)

I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well. ~Psalm 136:14 (NKJV)

Beautiful - MercyMe

This post is part of the weekly Five Minute Friday Link up