Day 164

Day 164 of  The Red Shoe Project finds me in RED sandals and filled with HOPE.  Yesterday, while I was walking Pauly, I saw ten butterflies.  They were all different in color.  Butterflies always fill me with hope.  There's just something about them. They're so delicate and beautiful.  They always bring a smile to my face.  Whenever I see one, my faith is lifted up a notch and I give thanks to God for that little pick-me-up!  Imagine what ten butterflies did. Talk about a Power-Boost!

HOPE is defined as:

 optimism, expectation, expectancy, 

faith, trust, and promise.

For months I've been ministering to a woman who has had a hard life filled with challenges that most of us will never experience.  In the middle of all that, Christ heard her cry.  She gave her heart to Jesus and  has been taking one step at a time, one day at a time.  I've witnessed a miracle!  Her life has been changed -- completely turned around.  She doesn't even look the same.  She's glowing!

"I waited patiently for the Lord;

He turned to me and heard my cry.

He lifted me out of the slimy pit, 

out of the mud and mire;

He set me feet on a rock

and gave me a firm place to stand.

He put a new song in my mouth, 

a hymn of praise to our God.

Many will see and fear

and put their trust in the Lord."

Psalm 40:1-3

She is a brave woman.  She has had to walk out her salvation.  That means she gets up every day, chooses to follow Christ and moves forward in newness.  She has left "the old way of life"  behind and is pressing on to all that God has for her.  That sounds so easy, but it's not.  It's challenging.  It's difficult.  It's scary.  But she's doing it.

BRAVE is defined as 

 courageous and  fearless.  

I'm not sure we're ever really totally exempt from fear.  I think that being brave and courageous is moving forward even when you are afraid. When you do that... everyone around you just thinks your fearless!

Lately we have been praying together that God would direct her next steps by opening and closing doors.  This morning He closed and locked an "old"  door.  We knew that old door needed to be closed.  It was a door to a bad place.  It didn't fit with all the good things that God's been doing. It was continually robbing her of His's blessings. 

Even so, she got scared when the door closed.  Now what?  All others doors seemed to be closed tight.  We prayed together for God to open a new door.   Many joined in prayer.  Then God's people took action on her behalf.  By the end of the day,  a  "new" door presented itself.   

I just got off the phone with my friend.  She is anticipating great things as she walks through this open door.  I'm expecting great things for her.  God is so good.  He sure knows how to bring it all together for His glory.  And I'm so proud of her.  She is leaping forward, by faith.  I have no doubts that one day, others will be inspired by her, and turn to God themselves.

Meanwhile, I'm taking one step at a time, one day at a time, myself.  I never know what each day holds until it arrives and I'm walking it out, trusting God with every step.  A friend of mine sent me a testimony of a man who has lived his life, much like I'm living mine right now.  The article was a wellspring of encouragement to me.  

When I was in Scotland, I visited a museum and learned about the discovery and exploration of Antarctica.  I can still hear my aunt whispering behind me, 

"They must have been very brave stepping out every day, not knowing what they would find."  

"Welcome to my world,"   I thought.   

"Welcome to my friend's world." 

Perhaps we're all called to be brave.  As Christians, don't we all have to take leaps of faith from time to time?  

One of the guys in my discussion group says the same thing week after week... 

"I'm discovering that it's all about TRUST.  It's all about TRUST!"

Yes it is.

Gail

Day 163

On this 163rd Day of  The Red Shoe Project I was sporting RED flip flops as I joined a dear friend for lunch, followed by a walk on the beach at the Longboat Key Club.  What an incredible day!  Magnificent weather;  beautiful sea green water;  cool, powdery sand;  and delightful conversation!  It was a happy afternoon to say the least.  I was with one of my most favorite girlfriends!

When I woke up this morning, I took some time to copy my notes from yesterday's Bible study presentation into my little personal book of messages.  This is a message that I want to be able to present again and again.  It's a keeper!  It's not about just having a good message.  I love this message because I've lived it out!  It's personal.  It's the story of me dealing with difficulty, turning to God for help, and finding victory!  It doesn't include examples that are found in a big ministry book of stories that you buy in a Christian bookstore.  These examples came straight from my life!

I also love this message because something happened when I was presenting it.  I got lost in the glory!  While everyone else was taking it all in, writing out notes, and pondering the scriptures... I was enjoying "the dance."  For me it was a time of partnering with The Holy Spirit and allowing Him to speak truth through me in a way that would impact lives!  At least that's what it's like for me.




I have several friends who are painters.  It's their gifting.  When they paint, they partner with The Holy Spirit to bring forth a message.  The onlookers all view the same creation, but how it's received in their hearts can be quite varied.  That's the thing about partnering with The Holy Spirit...
He has this way of taking the message and making it incredibly personal to each and every person that's taking it in.  I love how He does that!!!  I don't know how He does it -- It's supernatural!  It's a "God-thing!"
The results can be life-changing!  I know this personally because on many occasions,  I've been on the receiving end myself.


Today I met with an old friend who has been preaching evangelistic messages as of late.  He is multi-talented.  Over the years,  God has used him many different ways, on many different projects, for His glory. Lately, however,  he's been found doing what he loves most -- what he's best at -- preaching powerful messages that bring people to the feet of Christ for salvation, healing and restoration.  As he shared testimony after testimony,  today, I noticed that he was glowing.  Yup... he's been dancing with The Holy Spirit and having the time of his life!


Even tonight, I stopped by a friend's house for a couple of hours of fun.  She was hosting a jewelry party.  I wanted to support her, but I also wanted to see my other girlfriend, who was the presenter,  "do her thing."  She was fabulous.  I was so moved by how good she is at what she does!

She has such a gentle spirit about her.  She is kind and considerate.  People like her!  She has a special way of connecting with her audience.  She's also sensitive to the handiwork of God.  It doesn't take much to bring  tears to her eyes when she sees God at work.  Her husband recently commented to me,

"That's what I love most about her!"

The other night,  she and I were talking about The Red Shoe Project.  I got a little choked up about something, and without hesitation, her arms reached out and wrapped themselves around my neck.  Her hug was so comforting to me.   There she was...  doing her own unique dance with God!


As I kick off my RED shoes and head for bed, I'm going to take three minutes, put on a favorite dance tune, and do my own little dance before The King.   Why not?  All day I've been an eye-witness to people dancing with God.  Now I'm going to have a little fun and dance for God!  Good thing He has a sense of humor!

Gail

Day 162

Today is Day 162 of  The Red Shoe Project.  I was up early and out the door, in my RED suede ballet flats, ready to deliver a good word of encouragement to the ladies of  "The Bonfire" Bible Study.  Once again, it was a full house.  The women came out ready to receive and ready to contribute their thoughts, prayers and gifts to all in attendance.  The anointing for prayer was ever so present, so instead of finishing with prayer requests, we did that right up front.  We are believing God to move in the lives of many... savings souls, healing, bringing about restoration and deliverance.

Changing gears a bit, we moved on to a Bible study focusing on "Encouraging Oneself in the Lord."  Our key text is found in 1 Samuel 30:6...

"David was greatly distressed because the men 

were talking of stoning him, each one was 

bitter in spirit because of his sons and daughters, 

but David found strength (encouraged himself) 

in the Lord, His God."

I've heard this scripture preached many times over the years.  It always urks me a little.  I mean,  really?  I'm supposed to encourage myself?  What's with that?  Sometimes it seems like I am continuously encouraging others.  When is it time for others to encourage me? 

This is a timely message, because when you are called to minister to others, (and many of us are), there will be times when we have to encourage ourselves in the Lord.  That doesn't mean that we don't have friends and mentors that are capable of ministering to us.  We do.  But sometimes... God wants you solo -- alone -- one-on-one with Him, for a purpose.  He doesn't want you venting to your girlfriends.  Just the other day, I saw, upfront and personal,  how disastrous that can be.  More often than not, He wants us to go directly to Him.  This message is about just such times.

Do you ever find yourself distressed?   In great sorrow?  Suffering?  Heartbroken?  Anxious?  Alone?  Feeling abandoned?  In despair?  Without hope?  Confused?  Fearful?  Grieving?  ...to the point of being paralyzed, unable to move and ready to give up?  Maybe it's not one of those things, but several of them.  Perhaps you've reached your personal breaking point.  Then what?  You reach out, but no one's there.  You call your friends, but no one answers.  Even when you find someone, they've got nothing for you.  Great!  What then?  

Consider this:  You may have been set up by God!  And that's when you have to resort to encouraging yourself in the Lord.  That's when you have to take courage in Christ.  You must draw strength from Him... from His promises... from His presence... from His Word.  That's when you have to remind yourself of God's faithfulness, not only to keep you, but to be with you!

So just how do we do that?

Isaiah 40:31 says... "They that wait upon the Lord will renew their strength..."

Psalm 121:1 says...  "I will lift up my eyes to the hills -- Where does my help come from?  My help comes  from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth."

Psalm 40:1 says... "I waited patiently for the Lord.  He turned to me and heard my cry.  He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire;
He set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand."

Psalm 119:28 says... "My soul is weary with sorrow;  strengthen me according to your word."

Personally, I've found there are many ways to strengthen or encourage myself in the Lord. 

1.  It all starts with PRAYER. Getting before God, by myself, and laying my heart and soul before Him. In times of distress, sometimes I can't even talk... the Spirit within me takes over with words I don't understand...  with groaning that words can't even express. (Romans 8:26).  Sometimes tears flow freely from my eyes.  I don't always know what they mean, but God does.  The Bible says that God collects my tears in a bottle. (Psalm 56:8).   Surely tears are a prayer language that God is more than familiar with.

2. Reading and reciting THE WORD is always a great source of encouragement while I'm waiting on God.  This is God's way of speaking to me.  Over the years I have found that I can stand on the promises of God.  That means I can believe what His Word says is true.  Promises like:

"I will never leave you nor forsake you!"  (Hebrews 13:5);
"I love you with an everlasting love."  (Jeremiah 31:3);  
"I have a plan for you."   (Hebrews 29:11);  or
"Be confident of this:  I will complete the work 
I started in you."  (Philippians 1:6).

These are truths I hold onto by faith.  They are a solid, secure foundation that I know I can trust in.  They give me comfort, confidence, strength, hope and assurance when I need it most.  And they're not just words in my head.  They are found in the most accurate historical document of all time, The Bible -- also known as God's Holy Word!

3.  WORSHIP & PRAISE  go hand-in-hand when it comes to strengthening myself in the Lord.  Whether it's in the privacy of my home, while driving in my car, or attending church,  singing unto the Lord has an amazing effect.  Sometimes it's just a word that pops into my mind. (Personally I think it's planted there by God, himself).  I start to think,  "What is that word?"  Next thing I know, I realize that it's not a word, it's a phrase -- a sentence in a song.  Before I know it,  I'm no longer just saying it, I'm singing it.  I remember the beat and the notes that go along with the words.  Then I start to focus on what I'm actually singing.  Sure enough, it's exactly the answer I'm looking for and it's all wrapped up in a song!

Other times, I just throw on some music -- music that I know will minister to me spiritually -- music that will lift up my spirit.  There are some songs that just bring me right into the presence of God.  I pull out the CD or I find it on Youtube and before long, I find myself in The Secret Place.


The other day, I looked at the clock and realized that if I left right then -- I could make it to the evening service at church.  Our church has a loud worship service.  They even provide earplugs to soften the sound for those who prefer it that way.  Before I knew it, I was caught up in the worship, singing my heart out to the God I love.  I can't sing for beans, but it's so loud, no one can hear me, so no worries.  Better yet, that worship resulted in my shouting out praises to Jesus ever so loudly.  Did that ever bring change!  There was a spiritual break in the atmosphere.  Sometimes there's spiritual warfare taking place and that's exactly what's needed:  A Breakthrough!  Watch out though, breakthroughs can often end up in jumping, dancing or even laughing.  Talk about "joy unspeakable and full of glory!" (1 Peter 1:8).  Yahoo!

The other day I found, by accident,  a quote on Google by Rev. David Wilkerson, the well respected Christian evangelist,  known for his book,  The Cross and the Switchblade,  Pastor of Times Square Church in New York City, and founder of International Teen Challenge. This quote put it all in perspective for me.  It was the answer from God I was waiting for.

"God has permitted hard times  

(1) to cast you wholly on Himself; 

(2) to wean you from all confidence in the flesh; 

and (3) to help you get your eyes off people, 

books, sermons and well meaning friends 

and onto the power of God working in you."

What  is this power of God working in me?

Romans 8:11 says... 

"...that same Spirit,

 that raised Christ from the dead,

 He dwells in me!"

That's The Holy Spirit.  In times of despair, difficulty and discouragement, God wants me to come directly to Him!  ... without going to others first!    And I don't have to go far, because He lives right here, in me -- in my heart.  My body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).  And I have immediate access to Him! (Hebrews 4:16).  That's what God wants in my most difficult of times!

I know it's a bit cliche, but in the Wizard of Oz, Dorothy,  (the girl in RED shoes),  says the lesson she's learned is that everything she needs is right within the boundaries of her own back yard.  

Well, this girl in RED shoes,  (that's Me),  has learned that all I need is Him... and as a Christian, He's right here, (pointing to my chest), living in me!

"There's no place like HOME!"

Gail

Day 161

Day 161 of  The Red Shoe Project is a reminder that:  Some doors are not meant to be opened! 

Late last night, I kicked off my RED shoes, wanting to wind down and ready myself for bed.  It was a challenging day and I was wanting to feel sorry for myself.  Hey!  this dying to self stuff is not easy!!!   But...

 "Dying to self"  

makes no room for

  "feeling sorry for self."  

My flesh was screaming out... "Doesn't this count for anything?"  I don't think anyone could hear that cry, but me.  And I should have been selective in my hearing and ignored the whole darn conversation.  The goal is to rid myself of that ugly flesh, not feel bad for it's death.

Yes... I made a mistake.  I might as well put it right up front and out in the open.  After listening a bit too long to that wining spirit, I made the mistake of chatting with a friend.  "Oh... I'm not feeling so good about how I'm looking these days!" I said.  NO!  There it was... delivered right to her door:

 An invitation for a pity party.  

Right as the words were coming off my lips, I realized what I'd done.  Did you ever want to reach out and grab the words before they reached the receiver's ears?  Too late!  The receiver immediately jumped on my case.  "Well... you know, if you'd just get a real job, you'd have money to take care of yourself... you'd be in the gym,  you'd be at the beauty parlor, you'd be out shopping for more fashionable clothes, bags and shoes... you could even, maybe, afford to get a little work done, (she was referring to cosmetic surgery). Your first impression is important.  Image counts!"

Oh my gosh... what had I done?  I was just hoping for a hug and a prayer... not an onslaught of negativity, all dished out just for me.  Evidently I had chosen the wrong person to vent with.  Truth is, I didn't even want to vent.  I'm not sure what I wanted, but this wasn't it!  It was like those overgrown vines in my back yard.  They were reaching to grab a hold of me and take me down... take claim of me and my life!  Yikes!

Fortunately, I was able to quickly proclaim that I was just having a "moment" of weakness, and somehow I managed to change the conversation without any push back.  Ahhhhhhhhh.  Saved! 

Today while taking a long walk in my RED sneakers, the Lord talked to me about that.
Dying to self is a painful process.
It's supposed to be that way.  It's not fun.  It's not funny.  It's not happy.  It doesn't feel good.  It's painful!  You're mourning the death of your flesh!
I remembered that old saying,
"No pain, No gain!"
(I thought that was only for diets and exercise.) 

Here's what John the Baptist said: 

"He must become greater. 

 I must become less."

John 3:30

A good friend describes it this way:

"Just Surrender!"

In this case,  "Surrender"  means

 to give up and let go of  My way 

and embrace  His way.

Sounds so easy.   It's not!

But I'm motivated!  You know why?  Because God told me that if I'd just die to self,  He'd send a lot more opportunities for salvation my way.  He wants to use me to lead others to Him!   ...but I'm in the way.  Yeah, that's not good.  I'm going to have to work on that.  We're going to have to work on that!

 More of Him, Less of Me!  

In time, I'll get this.
Gail