Day 77

First and foremost, I am wearing my RED shoes and celebrating with the angels on this 77th Day of The Red Shoe Project.  One of the guys in my "Connecting with God" class just informed me that he asked Jesus into his life!

"...there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents..."

Luke 15:7

He was driving his car, listening to a CD by Andy Stanley, on "GRACE."  At the conclusion of the message, Andy offers up a prayer for those wanting to accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior.  This guy stops the CD, pulls off the road into a parking lot, turns the CD back on, bows his head and prays "The Prayer."  He couldn't wait to tell me today what happened.  Glory to God!

There's a new name written down in Glory!  

"Nothing impure will ever enter Heaven, 

nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, 

but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life."

(Revelation 21:27)

Ok... so it's difficult to even talk about anything else for nothing can compare to the Salvation of a Soul!  But on this 77th Day of  The Red Shoe Project,  God was found working Here, There, and Everywhere!

Later in the afternoon, I could be found in RED shoes, with my good friend, Bonnie.  We huddled ourselves around the Word of God, at a little table in Starbucks.  It was raining outside, so the coffee shop was crowded.  There we were testifying of God's goodness to one another and whispering the great secrets of God.  It seemed as if Heaven opened up above us and rained down glory!  If we continue to meet like this at Starbucks, it's only a matter of time before the other customers are effected by God's Powerful Presence.  We're believing for it! Amen.

Night time rolled around and I was off, in my RED shoes, to the new believers' Bible study.  It was a small group tonight... just 3 of us.  The father of the friend I mentioned above wept tears of joy as he testified of God's goodness!  He has been specifically praying at our meetings for his son to connect with Christ for almost a year now.  God has delivered that blessing!  Glory! 

At the end of our study, we always take time to go around the circle and pray together.  A faithful attender prayed a simple prayer requesting God to help her with negative thoughts. I followed her in the prayer circle and sensed this "nudging" from God to go over to her, put my arm around her shoulders and pray on her behalf. Ok... why not?  So I followed through and next thing I know this powerful prayer is coming from my mouth.  It was one of those prayers where as I'm speaking it I'm thinking, "Wow... this is really good!"  That's because I'm not the one praying it --  The Spirit of God is praying through me.  I mean really...  I wasn't even thinking of the words...  it was just flowing out from me.  Then, when it was over,  I turned to her and began to speak to her on God's behalf a word of encouragement.  Her small, but sincere, heartfelt prayer had so pleased God that He enlisted the others in the circle to stand with her in the days to come.  They were to intercede on her behalf, pulling down the powers and principalities that were coming against her.  She left the study, no longer solo in battle, but with a Defense Team in place!  Praise the Lord!

Two things stand out to me.  (1) God responds to the sincere prayers of His people for help. Just Ask!  It would have been so easy for her to just not say anything... but she took a chance and made her request known unto God... and He Answered her with so much more than she ever could have imagined.  (2) When we step out in obedience to the prompting of The Holy Spirit.... WOW!  you just never know how God will manifest Himself. 

 It starts off You... then He takes over.  

That's Divine Partnership at its best!  

But The Believer has to step out first in faith.

Day 77 has been a busy one. I'm thankful for my RED shoes and the way they prompt me to Keep my eyes open for what God is doing in my midst.  Is anyone else ready to join me in this Divine Endeavor?  I promise you won't be disappointed!  Changed? YES.  Disappointed? Never.

Stepping out by faith,

Gail

Day 76

Day 76 of The Red Shoe Project has me in RED, suede flats, unable to shake off something that God spoke to me, late last night, in the wee hours of the morning.  All day, I have been pondering it over and over again in my  mind.  It's a good word.

I don't know what your evening ritual is before bed, but since I started The Red Shoe Project I have become a bit of a "night owl."  Most of the time, I don't sit down to write about my day and what God has done until after 10 pm.  Sometimes it can take up to 4 hours to flush that all out into blog format, get the right pictures for it, publish it and post it.  When all is said and done,  I shut off all the lights, and inform my puppy it's bedtime.  While I go off to the bathroom to wash up,  Pauly,  (the dog),  jumps up onto the bed and waits for me to come and shut off the lights.


So I've noticed that in this bedtime ritual,  I always seem to get this little burst of energy right before I turn the light out.  When I see my cute little puppy just waiting there for me, I without fail, decide it's time to have a chat with the dog, scratch behind his ears, roll him over and rub his belly.  As much as I enjoy that,  Pauly doesn't seem all that interested.  He's ready for bed!  I can almost hear him saying, "I've been here all day, and now, at two in the morning, you want to play?"


All this has got me  thinking about all the years that I used to do just that with God.  I'd go about my life all day, then right before I shut the light out at night, I'd decide to read the Word,  say my prayers  and give a few minutes to God  to speak to me.  I wonder how God felt about that? (I always thought that He'd be happy with the fact that I was checking in.)

As a Christian, I know that Christ lives in me through the presence of The
Holy Spirit -- not sometimes, but all the time -- 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

 He doesn't "pop in" to visit  me on occasion.  He's a permanent resident in my heart.  Yet, I give him but a few minutes at the end of the day?  Something isn't quite right about that.  In fact, I'm thinking it was rather rude of me to ignore my best friend, my divine partner and my God like that.  If you, (whoever you are), were to come visit me,  (even though I don't even know you), I would never ignore you period, let alone the entire day... and then right before the lights go out for the night, start talking with you and limit you to a fifteen minute response. That's crazy!

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The Divine Relationship  is the powerful connection between a man 

or woman and God.  It's developed through continual communication and fellowship with one another over time. 

The Divine Partnership is when a man or woman walks with God.  

God is the Leader, and the man or woman is the Follower. 

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It has occurred to me that when I'm resting in bed... The Holy Spirit is with me. When I walk the dog morning... The Holy Spirit is with me.  When I shower, The Holy Spirit is with me.  When I drive in the car... The Holy Spirit is with me.  When I attend an appointment... The Holy Spirit is with me.  When I run into the store to pick up groceries, The Holy Spirit is with me. When I'm working out... The Holy Spirit is with me. Even as I sit at the computer late at night writing, The Holy Spirit is with me.  So why would I limit my conversation with Him to a few minutes before I go to sleep?  Hmmm.  

Ok... so I'm exaggerating slightly.  I do talk to God a little more often than that... especially since I started this Red Shoe Project.  But even still... my conversation time with Him is significantly limited when I contrast that with His 24/7 availability.

This means... 

He's always with me, 

but I'm the one choosing 

WHEN and HOW OFTEN

 I connect with Him. 

All this time, I've been wondering how to better connect with God on a consistent basis, and all I really need to do is continually Acknowledge His Presence and Talk with Him.

So when I wake up, I can say "Good Morning, Lord!"  When I walk the dog, I can ask God what He wants to do today.  When I eat breakfast, I can ask God questions about my morning devotional and listen for His response.  When I walk out to my car, I can thank God for the lovely flowers and the sunny sky.  When I'm driving in the car to my appointments, I can chat with God about what the day has in store for me. When I'm on the treadmill, I can bring my cares and concerns to Him.  I can do this all the time.

That's so easy!  Why didn't I see this before?  

I can do that!  This will be life changing!

So I mentioned this "good word" to a friend today.  I got the impression that she thought it was a little weird that I was "talking to God" all the time.  Well, I think it's a little weird, (not to mention a little rude),  that I'm not talking to God all the time!  I've decided to change that!  

I thought it was the BEST DECISION I ever made when I asked God into the center of my life.  Now thirty years later...

I have decided to actively fellowship 

in greater measure with God on a daily basis.  

Why wouldn't I do that?  If God has given me access to Himself, 24/7, why would I settle for 15 minutes?  or 1 hour?  or 3 hours?  That's got to change.  I'm not sure why it's taken me so long to see that... and it doesn't matter why.  The thing is... I see it now and I'm going to do something about it.  I think this will be the NEW Best Decision in my life:  Continual fellowship with God.  And I'm going to do it in RED shoes!

Gail

Day 75

Day 75 of The Red Shoe Project was a bit out of the ordinary.  Before I even had a chance to throw on my RED Shoes, I woke up with the strangest dream still lingering in my head.  I can't believe that I was dreaming about people and places from my teenage years. (Not for nothing, but that was a long, long time ago!)  Needless to say, I was living a bit of a rebellious life in those days, so memories of that time are rather yucky!

BOOM!!!!  Spiritual Attack  and I'm not even out of bed yet!

Of course, the spiritual warfare seems so obvious now, at the end of the day, but at the time... it just seemed weird and random.  Just enough to get me a little off kilter and out of sorts.

I spent the day puttering around the house, cleaning up a bit, and going through my closet to see what I could take to the Goodwill. It's spring -- Out with the old, so I can bring in the new!   I've wanted to battle my closet for weeks now, and today turned out to be the day!  As excited as I was to do this, I was rather struck, by surprise, at the fact that I was having a little difficulty letting go of some of my "STUFF".  Not good stuff that I wear,  mind you... I'm talking about stuff that doesn't fit, is out of style, isn't the right color,  and hasn't been worn in years.  Really?  What's with that?  I'm not one to hold onto stuff like that, but those voices in my head kept provoking me to have a little pity party.

Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom.  - Watch out!  Rapid fire coming straight on!

Still a little oblivious to the fact that I was in the middle of a spiritual battle,  I headed off to church for the evening service.  Yup... the devil loves to play with Christians... even at church.  Here's how he does it.  Someone says something  to another person without quite thinking it through, and the enemy relentlessly twists it and turns it in the head of the other person, trying to get them to take offense and burn up with anger!

Fortunately, "The Name of the Lord is a Strong Tower, the righteous run into and are safe." (Proverbs 18:10).  I've been trained in times like this to keep my mouth shut, and bring it to the Lord as quickly as possible.  When I got home... I grabbed the leash to walk the dog and got outside in the open air  to talk it out with God.

 Remember last night's verse?  

"Be anxious for nothing, but in all things, through prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, make your requests known unto God... and the Peace of God which transcends all understanding will guard your heart and mind."   Philippians 4:6,7

Important note:  verse 5 (right before that) says "God is near."

You know what He said?

"It's spiritual warfare.  

Let it all go!  

Don't make anything of it.  Walk away."  

So I did just that!  I laid it down.
There's nothing that brings the enemy to a halt faster than a  Cease Fire from God!  It take 2 to fight.

Just then, the greatest thing happened.  My daughter drove by as she was leaving to go out for the night.  She saw me walking the dog and pulled over.  The window rolled down, and there she was with that BIG Wonderful Smile of hers!  "You're the BEST Mom!"  "I just wanted you to know that I love you!" 

It was like the heavens opened up and soothing showers of blessing were released upon me.  That's just like God, isn't it?  It's amazing how He makes it a point to comfort us after the battle.

So as I kick off my RED Millitary Boots for the night,  I'm giving a great BIG shout out to  All of You who are continually lifting me up in prayer.

THANK YOU fellow soldiers in Christ!  I couldn't do all this without You!!!

I will sleep well tonight!

Gail

Day 74

On this 74th Day of  The Red Shoe Project, I want to share an incredible exercise with you.  As a woman in RED shoes,  I understand all too well what it's like to have "Anxiety Build-up."  It's only human to have cares and concerns, but  I've also learned the importance of  "Casting my cares upon the Lord."  


First...  Understand that Worry and Anxiety are the opposite of Faith.  Worry is fear generated.




Although you may think that God will feel bad for you and come along side and comfort you, in reality.... when Worry builds up like a pile of dirty laundry... it is an invitation for the enemy to torment you!  He will use it to rob you of every ounce of peace that you possess.

What God does want you to do is:

• Acknowledge your concerns, 
• Turn them over to Him, 
• and then Let them go!  

Philippians 4:6-7 says...

"Be anxious for nothing, 

but in all things, 

through prayer and supplication, 

with thanksgiving, 

make your requests known unto God."

When we do that... 

"... the peace of God which transcends all understanding

will guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus."

This is so important, because we connect with God the best,  

( that is, we sense His Presence), when we are relaxed and at peace.

So I totally understand how all that can sound good... but doing it can be an entirely different story.  This exercise will help you. (You may want to have a friend read the instructions, while you do it.)

•  Start off by acknowledging a concern.  For example... let's say you have a financial situation that needs God's provision.  It's your daughter's birthday, and you don't have any money for a card and gift... not even a small one.  Instead of worrying about that, here's what you're going to do: 

•  Sit back in your chair.  Get comfortable.  Close your eyes.  Pretend you are little.  Put on your 10 year old mindset.  Can you picture yourself as a kid?

•  Now pick up an imaginary balloon.  Give it a little stretch before you blow it up.  Not yet!  First, tell God what your concern is.  "God, you know it's Mary's birthday.  I'd like to be able to get her a small gift.  I need you to provide."

•   Now hold that imaginary balloon up to your lips and blow into it.  Blow that concern into the balloon.  Picture the words in your mind,  "Please provide for Mary's gift!"  going into the balloon with each breath.   Do you sense the balloon getting larger?  Blow again. "God, Help me get a gift for Mary!"   Keep blowing until you feel like you've got the entire request out of your mind and into the balloon. "God... Mary will be so disappointed if she has nothing on her birthday.  Please help!"  You'll feel the balloon getting bigger and bigger and bigger.

•   Now tie off the end of the balloon.  Hold the balloon in your hands in front of you.  Is it a big balloon?  I know mine was.  Can you feel it trying to float away.  Don't let it go yet!  

•  As you release your hold on the balloon and let it go --  Shout at the top of your lungs... "FREEDOM!"   Make it a long, loud shout!  "FREEDOM!"   There it goes!!!   It's floating away!  Its just drifting upward to the heavens. And there's God taking it up into the clouds. 

•   Now give thanks to the Lord! Thank Him for taking your cares from you.  Feel free to clap your hands... Jump for joy... Come on... Do your own little Victory Dance right now!  If you don't know how to do that... just wiggle!  That's it!  Wiggle.  If you are doing this with a friend, hold hands and jump up and down together.  Rejoice!!!  Smiling and Laughing are strongly encouraged!  Spend at least 5 minutes doing this step.  

As I continue to dance a little longer and Thank God for His goodness,  I hope you have "Let go" with me.  

FREEDOM is a very Good thing!

In RED sneakers,

Gail