Day 362

It's Day 362 of  The Red Shoe Project.  My RED shoes have been on my feet all day as I've done errands, cooked, cleaned house and pondered the things of God.  It's funny how God can use just about anything to speak something so profound when He wants to.  This book is proof of that!

For the life of me, I can't stop thinking about a television program I saw late last night.  A young woman was planning her wedding on a fairly tight budget.  She prided herself in her commitment to be frugal throughout the entire process.

In reality, she didn't have much of a choice.  She lives in NYC where everything is expensive, including weddings!  Yet, she was determined to have the wedding she wanted without excessive spending.  Word got out of her unique endeavor and a film crew decided to make a documentary of sorts on how to accomplish this using her as the example.


Here's what she didn't know:

Her immediate family and closest friends
were in on a HUGE secret. The  actual
intent of the show's producer was to give
her the fabulous wedding she truly desired,
no holds barred.



The young woman made sacrifice after sacrifice due to the high cost of things.  Necessary cuts had to be made here, there and just about everywhere.  She even resorted to making her own hors d'oeuvres, had benches instead of proper seating, ordered her bridal dress online, and skipped having any sort of live music for entertainment.  The list of things she had to settle for went on and on.

Here's what I loved about the program:

When the wedding day finally arrived, the producer, family and friends slowly began to unwrap the surprises for her. They started off by giving her the option of wearing her  "cheap-o," mail order dress  -OR-  she could wear the gorgeous $5000 designer dress that she had tried on one day "just for fun."  Yes!  She chose the fine dress.  Next, her dad showed up in an antique car to bring her to the wedding.  Yeah... that wasn't in her budget, but she jumped in all the same.  The surprises just kept getting bigger and better.

All the while, she just goes with the flow 

and enjoys it all!

She doesn't fuss.  She doesn't get upset.  She doesn't question a thing.  I'm not really sure that she was fully there.  Maybe she was in shock?  You know how brides can tend to kind of float through their wedding day on cloud nine?  That's what I mean by her not totally being there.  The whole event is so surreal -- let alone heaping unexpected extravagances on top of it all!

At first, I wasn't sure why I was so captivated by this program.  I just happened upon it as I surfed the channels, but once I started watching, 

I had to see it through to the end.  

Then, when I got up to go to bed, the Lord surprised me by asking...

  "What did you think of that?"

"Are you kidding me?  

That's exactly how I feel 

going into the new year.

I have no clue what's 

about to happen.  The 

only difference is that 

I know that YOU are 

in control of it all!"

 "Now I just have to master the art of 

going with the flow!"

I guess what surprised me the most was that the woman didn't hesitate in receiving all that was poured out on her.  She just enjoyed it.  She didn't care that her mail order dress got tossed to the side.  She took no offense that all the planning and prepping she did was in vain.  A crew of experts rushed in 24 hours before the gig and did a complete overhaul on the entire venue.  

Walking with the Holy Spirit is just like that.  You can plan all you want, but you have to be able to let go of everything and anything - often at the last minute -  for the upgrade!  If you're going to hem and haw, drag your feet, hold offense, complain and cry, your not a good candidate for Divine Partnership. I will say this:  When you're new to the role, He cuts you a lot of slack.  When you're not so new, He expects you to grow into the role, move with Him and follow His lead.

This year has been a lot of practice of just that.  

Next year I'm simply going to the next level!

In RED shoes, 

Gail

  

Day 361

Praying in partnership with the Holy Spirit is what's on my mind this 361st Day of  The Red Shoe Project.  My RED socks have been on my feet all day as I've puttered around the house in continual conversation with the Lord.

Jude 20  says this...

"... building yourselves up in your most holy 

faith and praying in the Holy Spirit..."

Although many would interpret "praying in the Holy Spirit"  as praying in other tongues, the book I was reading today ( Good Morning Holy Spirit)  stated  "it's so much more than that!  It also means to pray in the realm of the Holy Spirit and in the power of the Holy Spirit."

Hmmmm.  That got me thinking.  I have been praying a lot lately in my heavenly language.  When I do  that,  I sort of step aside and let the Spirit of God in me, pray directly to the Father for me.

"In the same way, the Spirit 

helps us in our weakness.  

We do not know what we ought to pray for,

 but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us 

through wordless groans."

Romans 8:26

True... sometimes it's me praying.  Other times it's the Spirit praying.  But even still, there are times when I feel  "WE"   are praying, in partnership with one another -- The Holy Spirit and Me!  Now that's a horse of a different color!


Today was one of those times.  I sat down rather intrigued by the idea of praying "in the realm of the Holy Spirit."   This isn't anything new to me, I've just never thought about it in those terms before.

A "realm"  is a kingdom, domain,  stomping ground, territory.

When I pray in the realm of the Holy Spirit, I am praying in His domain, not mine.  That would explain why I can see things in the Spirit.   Today, for example, I sat down, closed my eyes,  asked the Holy Spirit to partner with me in prayer and began to speak in a heavenly language.   Almost immediately, I saw a picture in my mind of a grave yard.  

I asked the Lord, 

"Why are you showing me a grave yard?  What does it mean?"  

Without hesitating, He responded, 

"These are the people who were prematurely robbed of their lives."

  

John 10:10 says...

"The thief comes only to 

steal, kill and destroy..."

My mind flooded with the names of all sorts of addictions:

Drugs          Alcohol 

Sex              Pornography   

Food           Gambling  

Spending    and more.

There is such a spiritual bondage in regards to such matters.  People are tormented.  Lives are destroyed.  Loved ones are left in despair.  No matter how you look at it, it's devastating!  

But the Spirit of God quickly reminded me that  John 8:36 says,

"... if the  Son sets you free, you will be free indeed."

With that scripture, I found myself prompted to intercede for those battling with such addictions.  I started off with a rather general prayer of deliverance for a faceless mob of people, that I imagined, bound in shackles.  Then quite suddenly, specific names of the children of many of  my friends began popping into my mind.  I was reminded that each of them are caught up in an addiction of sorts, so I called out their names to the Lord, one by one,  and proclaimed freedom over their lives in Jesus' Name!  

That wonderful name of Jesus!  

There's such power in it!

Later in the day,  I saw a program on television in which the minister was proclaiming the promises of God's Word regarding our children.  He noted Proverbs 11:21 (KJV) which says

"... the seed of the righteous shall be delivered!"

That could easily be interpreted, 

"...the children of God's people will be set free!"

How is that going to happen?  Prayer.  Not just any old prayer.  Powerful prayer in partnership with the Holy Spirit.  Prayer and Fasting, perhaps.  Committed prayer.  Continual prayer.    

I'm praying.  You're praying.  The people who have come through it are praying.  The more people praying, the better.  Let's do it, and let's not stop until we see results!  Amen?  Will you unite with me?

In RED shoes, 

Gail

Day 360

It's the day after Christmas -- Day 360 of  The Red Shoe Project.   The house is quiet as I putter around in my RED socks.  All the hoopla, festivities and Christmas singing is over for another year.  Let me just say...
"I love it all!"   I hope all of you, dear Rubies, had a wonderful day with family, friends and of course, the Lord!


I don't know about you, but I don't
 start packing up all the Christmas decorations until after January 1st.
The house is so pretty at this time of year.  Between all the ribbons, bows, ornaments, cards and  stockings, the atmosphere is filled with a sense of Divine Anticipation.

It seems that  "Anything is Possible!"   

I like to let that thought linger as long as as I can.

Today my daughter headed out to visit with some friends for a few days.  I have the house to myself.  At first I was a little nervous.  "What am I going to do with myself ?"   Jordan and Pauly are in Jersey.  My son, Joe, is in Colorado.  And now Gracie is in Orlando.  Then it dawned on me...

 I've got three whole days 

of just Me and The Lord! 

What final work does He want to accomplish in my life these last few days of the year?  I'm not sure if I should shout "Hooray!" or  "Oh no!"  LOL!  We could be having a praise party, or the Lord could be performing some heavy duty heart surgery on me.  What's it going to be?  Maybe a little bit of both?

I met with my spiritual mentor today.  I told her that I was feeling quite vulnerable.  With all the  cleaning I've been doing in obedience to God, it's like I have no past.  When I look over my shoulder, there's nothing there.  There's nothing to hold onto.  It's a little scary.  I feel like everything behind me has vanished.  POOF!

It's only scary because the safety harness has been removed.  I was accustomed to having all sorts of  "stuff"  in my life --  ideas,  memories,  ways of doing things,  traditions to fall back on.  In reality, most of that was unprofitable.  It didn't work in the past,  so why would I think it would work in the future?   It was just taking up space in my life.

 Sometimes  "stuff"  makes us feel safe,

 but that doesn't mean we are safe.  

It can be an illusion.
(Kind of like a parachute that 
doesn't open when you jump!)

Someone once told me that when they were really little their mother put a safety harness on them and tied one end of it to a tree in the back yard.  I know that sounds kind of harsh, but in the old days, no one batted an eye at such a thing.  I suppose it seemed a rather good solution to keep a small child from falling into the pool or from running out of the yard and into the street.

Today I happened to come across a picture on the internet of a pregnant woman strapped into her car with a rather elaborate seatbelt.  Surely it was to protect her and the baby in case of an accident.  Yeah... she wouldn't be going anywhere.  She looked immovable!  I guess what I'm realizing is that while harnesses may provide protection, they can also be rather restrictive.  Hmmmm.  Just something to think about.

Truth be told, as I fly into the New Year without my old safety harness, I'm either going to fly or I'm going to fall flat on my face.  You can't talk about flying all the time and then never actually do it!  I've been flying all year.  You have been my witness that God has been with me every step of the way.  I have no doubts that He will continue to be with me from here on out as well.

He will be my safety harness.

Him - alone!

That's the next step for me!

I will trust in Him, His Word, and His voice. 

 I'll listen and I'll obey.  

For the first time, in who knows how long, I will be soaring without all that baggage!  What a difference that ought to make!  Sounds exhilarating!

In RED shoes, 
Gail

Day 359

Day 359 of  The Red Shoe Project just happens to be Christmas day.  How wonderful!  It doesn't matter how old I get, I love waking up on Christmas morning.  There's a unique anticipation and excitement in the air that's like no other day.  This day, my feet were sticking out of the covers, clad in RED socks, of course.

When I first opened my eyes this morning, there it was...
the "BELIEVE" sign.  God's voice is always so clear when I first wake up and today, of all days, He whispered, "When did you stop believing?"  Was God rebuking me?  Ever so nicely, I must say, but a bit of a rebuke all the same.

"What?" I responded.

"When did you stop believing the promises I've spoken to you?  Last week you were all excited in your prayers, professing and believing all that is to come.  Today, you've shelved some of those promises.  Why is that?"

"Ummmm... I guess it's because I don't see any evidence of them." 
I retorted rather sheepishly.

"So what?  You just give up because they haven't come to pass yet?"

"Oooops!"

"Faith is the substance of things hoped for,

the evidence of things not yet seen."

Hebrews 11:1

The other day, I was flipping through the t.v. channels and came across a newer release of "Peter Pan."  In one of the scenes,  Tinkerbell is mischievously flying all over the place creating havoc.   For some reason, that reminded me of a much older version in which Tinkerbell is dying and Peter Pan tells the audience that if they would believe, Tinkerbell would come back to life.
"If you believe,"  he said,  "Clap your hands as loud as you can!  Louder!  Louder!  That's it!"   So now I'm wondering...

Have I killed Tinkerbell with my unbelief?  

LOL.  Well... you know what I mean.  There's just no way to make it sound pretty.  Unbelief kills promises.

"For without faith it is impossible to please Him..."

Hebrews 11:6

Last night, I actually attended two Christmas eve services.  One was at my church and one was an outreach in the park, downtown.  Both events included candle-lighting.  In a candle-lighting service, the minister takes his candle and lights the candles of a few of his leaders.   They, in turn, go out into the congregation and light the candles of those around them.  Before you know it, everyone is lighting the candle of the person beside them.  Within seconds, everyone's candle is lit.  It's absolutely beautiful, and so inspiring!

At the service in the park, however, there was a cool breeze that unexpectedly snuffed out several of the candles, including my own.  No worries, the person beside me leaned over and re-lit my candle.  All was well!  I didn't have any problems after that.  It stayed lit for the remainder of the service.  I was even able to relight someone else's candle that had gone out.

I bet I can use that same process in regards to my forgotten promises.  With God's early morning rebuke to BELIEVE,  I have decided to  re-ignite my faith for those things that I erroneously pushed aside.  I'm putting those lost prayers back into my feed and processing them, once again, in my prayer closet.  I do believe it's all good!

What about you?  Are there promises and prayers, hopes and dreams that you have forgotten about merely because you haven't seen them come to pass yet?  Perhaps this is the sign you've been waiting for that there's still HOPE.   Why not put them back on your prayer list today?  

"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

In RED shoes, 
Gail