Day 159

Day 159 of  The Red Shoe Project included a morning of yard work.  Yuk!  I hate yard work!  But sometimes it just has to be done.  So I put on some old work clothes, a pair of gardening gloves, my RED sneakers and reluctantly headed outdoors.  It's been raining for several days.  There are branches that need to be gathered up so that the trash man can take them away.


It seemed like a small job at first... that was until I ventured into the backyard.  I discovered several tree limbs down, dead sticks all over the place, and some overgrown bushes that needed trimming.  I hate to admit it, but none of these things have anything to do with all the rain we've been having.  My back yard has been neglected and I'm afraid it's caught up with me.

"Neglected" means I haven't paid proper attention to my backyard.  I've forgotten about it and haven't taken proper care of it.


It's funny how God speaks to me through yard work.  I hate when He does that!!!   LOL.
He certainly has a sense of humor.  God's lessons
can be found in the most bizarre places!  As sweat was pouring off my brow, I was wandering around my yard, bent over, and picking up sticks and old dead tree branches.  They were all over the place.
I must have filled two big containers with them.



One time, as I bent over to pick up a stick, I noticed there was some sort of vine wrapped around it.  When I pulled the stick toward me, I'm sure the vine pulled it back.  I tugged back and forth a few times, and even still, the stick was stuck.  That nasty vine just wouldn't let go.  Really?  My brain flashed back to an old Batman movie featuring the villainess, Poison Ivy.  (Isn't ivy a vine?)   I wondered how much ivy was growing in my back yard?  Did I need a rescue squad to come in and free all this dead wood?  LOL.  I took a closer look.  One of the vines must have been ten feet long, and that's just the part that I could see.  It was all over the place... intertwined within trees and bushes,  wrapped around sticks, hidden under leaves.  God only knows how extensive it really is.


Right there, amongst that mess in my backyard,  God decided to speak.  He told me that when we neglect areas of our lives -- when we don't check in on how we're doing,  when we let those little things go and don't deal with them -- temptation and sin creep in.  They move in and latch onto things, entangling themselves amongst everything, trying to set up permanent residence in our lives. You don't even realize that they're there, but when you go to move... like that stick,  it's got a hold of you.  And it's not so easy to get loose!

Sin is like that...  so is unforgiveness,  not to mention lying.  And I'm sure I could think of countless other examples.  Now there's something to ponder awhile.  Are there any spiritual matters in my life not being attended to?  Hmmm.   If so, I better get to them right away!  

I'm glad the yard work is over.  It's raining again, and I'm thinking that I may need to invest in a nice pair of RED rubber boots,  something that's good for the rain and for gardening.  LOL!

Gail

Day 158

Day 158 of  The Red Shoe Project  has me in RED shoes and getting back into the routine of things.  Prayer, dog walking, reading, errands, emails, office work, exercise and writing... the list goes on.

A "routine" is a sequence of actions regularly followed, a fixed program.

I love when I get into an established routine because it usually allows me to get a lot of things done, otherwise the whole day can fly by and nothing gets accomplished... that's not so good.  But my heart is a little heavy today.  I'm yearning to be closer to Him.  I want to push everything aside and  move into that secret place... that place of intimacy with Christ.

"Let me in!

Let me in!"

my heart cries out.

"Please...

let me come close."

I don't really want a routine today... at least not a routine filled with a bunch of "stuff," -- filler,  non-essential happenings,  empty tasks that don't really matter.    I don't want to wrap my time up with a lot of useless doings that take me away from Him any longer than necessary.

 Today I just want Him.  I want more.  I want to be in His presence.  I want to hear His voice.  I want to sense His touch.  I want to know His heart.  I just want to receive all I can from Him.

Funny thing is, I've noticed that so often, when I'm doing things -- random things -- routine things... well, that's when He comes along and drops a word in my heart, puts a song on my lips, opens my eyes to His perspective.  That's when opportunities arise to work in partnership with Him, or to be used by Him for some wonderful cause.  That's when He teaches me some of the greatest lessons,  not to mention it's when I get to practice what He's teaching me.  When I'm out and about, that's when He brings people my way -- people who speak into my life, and people whose life I can speak into.

I guess today was a  "Close in with Him Day"  sprinkled with a little "routine."  That worked!  God only  knows what tomorrow holds.  Either way, I'll be wearing my Ruby Reds!

Gail

Day 157

Today is Day 157 of  The Red Shoe Project.  There is a tropical storm going on in my neck of the woods.  It's pouring buckets of rain outside my window,  but my feet are snug and warm in Granny's hand-knit, RED socks.  There's something that I simply love about this kind of rain.  It so reminds me of the day I gave my life to the Lord.  It was just like this... gray, messy and wet!  Just goes to show that GREAT things can happen on rainy days! That day was the greatest day of my life!

I woke up this morning binding the enemy and taking control of this day in Jesus' name!  That was a good way to start the day!  I felt rested and strong... at least for the moment,  and secured my connection with Christ, digging my heals in, and standing firm!  I've determined to learn from yesterday's mistakes and use those powerful lessons for today's victory!

Bulldozers are small but powerful pieces of machinery.  They are used in the clearing and flattening of land.  Big plows are mounted on the front of them for the purpose of removing any remaining rocks, dirt, and debri, so that the land is left completely desolate.

Have you ever been knocked over?  

Have your knees ever buckled on you, and down you went?  

Pauly is an english bulldog.  He is 75 lbs of muscle and built like a bulldozer.  Every once in a while he will get so excited to see me that he runs right into me.  Sometimes he comes from behind, and without intending to hurt me, he'll charge into the back of my calves (right below my knees), and BOOM!  down I go.  It doesn't really hurt.  It's actually kind of comical.  But I'm always taken by surprise when my legs are taken out from under me and there I am trying to get my balance, hoping the angels of God will hold me up.  LOL.

Amongst all the birthday wishes yesterday, was an unexpected hello from an old, old friend, I hadn't seen in years.  For a moment, it took my breath away.  I had to reach for the table to hold onto something.  A man from the past.  Someone I loved dearly.  A relationship that I very much needed to let go of.  Sometimes you choose to walk with God or to walk with someone else.  I chose God.  I don't regret that decision at all.

It's just that the enemy of my soul makes it a point to know my weak spots -- where I'm inclined to buckle -- and yesterday he  decided to pull out the big guns and fire away.  Really?  What on earth made this person try to re-connect with me?

When you've been away from someone or something long enough, it's easy to just remember the good.  I had to think for awhile why our paths had gone in different directions.  But it was only a matter of time before the craziness of those days came flooding back into my head.  Talk about being sucker punched.  Somehow the devil managed to get my heart and mind on a bit of a roller coaster ride.  And just for the record, I don't like this particular roller coaster!  It has the tendency to make my head spin and my stomach churn, until I want to puke!  How the heck did I end up on this detour?  Was this the enemy's attempt to lay me out, flatten me, take me out of God's race?

Sometimes you just have to leave the door shut, not respond, let things be, drop the ball.  The enemy knows how difficult it is for me to do that... not have the last word.  It's easy bait.  But those few moments of recollection were more than enough for me.  I felt like I was peeking into Pandora's box.  I have closed it, locked it, turned away and moved on.

Just so you know, this isn't the first time the enemy has tried to use this particular bait with me.  I hate to admit that it worked for a long, long time... and I suffered because of it.  But as my friend Bonnie always says,  "The devil will come back to test the ground... to see if you've really been victorious there or if there's still a fight to be won.

It's official... there's no battle here. It's dead ground.  I'm not looking back because that's the wrong direction for me.  I'm focusing on what's in front of me.  I'm fixing my eyes on Jesus, the Author and Finisher of my faith.  His plan is before me.  Thereby, that's the way in which I must go!

"I have decided to follow Jesus.

I have decided to follow Jesus.

I have decided to follow Jesus.

No turning back.  No turning back."

Stepping forward in RED shoes, 
Gail

Day 156

It's Day 156 of The Red Shoe Project and I am in RED shoes celebrating my birthday!  I can't begin to thank all of the people for their warm birthday wishes... my family, my friends, all the "Rubies", and some people that I don't even know, (thanks to facebook)!

I started today, right where I left off yesterday... thinking about Kami's perspective on spiritual warfare.  I woke up rather abruptly to an awful dream.  In it, I was lost and without hope!  When my eyes opened and I realized I was dreaming,  I looked right into the corner of the room for that demon spirit that was trying to do me in before I even got out of bed.  I immediately took action and put on the full armor of God.  Kam's perspective put everything into proper context.  I took a whole different approach to things today.  

That doesn't mean the enemy just rolled over and gave up.  The day certainly had its challenges.  The opposition was relentless.  Just as I seemed to be making headway, the oppression set in again and again.  I remembered yesterday's Bible study.  Several women each shared their own particular ways of putting on the armor of God.  I tried them all.  

  BREAKTHROUGH!

- a sudden, dramatic and important discovery or development.

- a significant and dramatic overcoming of a perceived obstacle allowing the completion of a process.

"What is going on?"  I thought.  The enemy just wouldn't back off!  There can be only one reason for that.  I must be on the verge of a mighty breakthrough.  I must be right on the edge of a divine move of God.  That's always the time in which the enemy pours out all he's got -- all his lies... all his deceptions... all his temptations... all his tricks.  As the day goes on,  I find myself almost giving in.  I seem to tire easily.  I begin to question myself and where I'm at.  I begin to question God.  

Why do I do that?  It all seems so easy when there's no pressure involved. There are certainly times when I talk up a storm and appear so strong... convincing myself that I have such great faith!   LOL.   I read my Bible and pray and think, "I can do all that, no sweat!"  

But when the real test comes...  I don't even realize that I'm being tested.  And when it finally kicks in what's happening,  I find that I'm not quite up to snuff.  That is, I rarely do as well as I thought I would. 

I know that's why we have tests... so we can get a clear, accurate picture of where we're at.  Each test shows us where we're weak.  From there we can take proper action to build ourselves up.

It's only a matter of time before the re-test.  Each test is an opportunity to practice, to see what works,  to get it right.  And even then, to get it right consistently.  This is not a new message to me.  It's a mere reminder that God is working spiritual muscle in my life!

Amidst all my failing efforts,  God spoke a powerful word to me.  He kept injecting this thought into my mind throughout the entire day:  

"Dare to Believe, Gail!

Dare to Believe!"

He didn't stop.  He kept throwing that word -- that answer -- that weapon to me until I finally got a ahold of it and began to use it in my defense.  At one point, my mind was so bombarded with lies, I just started speaking it out... repeating it over and over again:  "I'm daring to believe!  I'm daring to believe!  I'm daring to believe that what God has said will come to pass!"  I found that as long as I could keep my mind filled with those words, there was no room for the lies.  The door of my mind was closed to any passing thoughts.  Amazingly, that seemed to work really well.

Between all the battles that were encountered this day, (and there were many),  there were also sprinkles of joy that put a smile on my face.  Favors from friends.  Conversations of love.  Cards and gifts.  Warm wishes and words of encouragement.  Not to mention, a wonderful birthday dinner.  There was even a bouquet of daisies!  Thank you for them all.  They made a difference.  I felt loved!

Now, I'm tired.  I'm kicking off my fatigues for the day -- that includes my RED shoes.  Who knows what tomorrow holds.  I'm ready to pick up where I left off, if necessary.  But tomorrow could also be Victory Day!  If so, I will do a victory dance.  Whatever the case.  I will be wearing my RED shoes and trusting God to bring me through, because...

I'm Daring to BELIEVE!

Gail