Peace

The definition of chaos:

complete disorder and confusion

The definition of peace:

1515 eirḗnē (from eirō, "to join, tie together into a whole") – properly, wholeness, i.e. when all essential parts are joined together; peace (God's gift of wholeness).

-Quietness, rest

-Freedom from disturbance, war or violence

-State of harmony between people or groups

-Absence of mental anxiety

For many years I was in great chaos inside.  My mind ran like a whirlwind, all the time.  My emotions were all over the place- high and low, dark and depressed, or numb and void.  I couldn't seem to get out of the utter confusion of my mind and emotions.  

When I became a believer- I tried to quell the loud clanging in me through reading the Scriptures and through praying.  For several years I also took an anti-depressant.  I just wanted to be calm, to be "even" on the inside.  

Then three things begin to happen:

1) I read a book by Beth Moore, Get Out of that Pit- and God spoke clearly to me that it was time to get out of my pit of depression, fear and anxiety.

2)  Within a month of reading the book- and seeking God and His healing- I was off all medication.  Not exactly by choice.  The insurance company refused to give me brand name anti-depressant, I couldn't afford to pay for it and I had side effects from the generic.  So- Jesus in His wisdom and timing- removed the ability for me to take the anti-depressant.  Unsurprisingly to God, I did not have withdrawals or any severe problems.  I was learning to trust Him with the confusion and disorder of my mind, thoughts and emotions.

3) Before the book, before the letting go of the anti-depressant- God placed people in my life (actually our family's life) whom He used to bring revelation and understanding about Who He is and who we are because of Him.  These preachers and teachers- had went or were going through their own brokenness, crisis or circumstance that brought them to the end of them self- and there was Jesus.  God was doing this profound transformation IN THEM and they were sharing this "good news" of the whole gospel.  He came to set us free!  How did He do that?  They began to teach the truth of Jesus, the gospel, the cross, grace, revelation, identity, flesh, transformation and so much more.  Things I had never heard before but were clearly in Scriptures.  

God used all these things to bring me to deeper awareness and intimacy in Him.  To find my life and my everything in Him.  Jesus became real to me- He became my Healer and Sufficiency.  He became Enough.

When I learned that my old sinful inner man has been crucified with Christ and I had a new inner man that Christ lived in- it changed my whole life.  It changed my mind, my emotions and my will.

I came to understand deeper truths.  And this one is particular:

Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, nor let it fear. -Jesus (John 14:27)

Peace.  God's gift of wholeness, healing, calmness, quiet, harmony, and absence of mental anxiety.  Jesus.  

Not only did He give ME, yes ME (oh, and yes- YOU, my brother or sister in Him, YOU) HIS PEACE.  His very peace He gave me- because He, Himself IS OUR PEACE (Ephesians 2:14, 2 Thessalonisans 3:16). 

Friend, are you in chaos and disorder in your inner man?  In your mind, will and emotions?  Is your heart troubled within you?

Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify (transform) you completely, and may your entire spirit, soul, and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The One who calls you is faithful, and He will do it. - 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24

There is only One who can offer you true wholeness, healing and absence of disorder and confusion.

Peace, Himself- Jesus.

Receive Him.  Believe Him.

Grace

My understanding of the definition of GRACE:

God's unfailing, intimate, forgiving, familial, supreme, encompassing, tender and generous-

Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, Freedom, Order, Power and Authority-

For me!  To me!  In me!  And through me!

And all of this is Jesus.

Jesus is Grace. 

HELPS Word-studies

Cognate: 5485 xáris (another feminine noun from xar-, "favor, disposed to, inclined, favorable towards, leaning towards to share benefit") – properly, grace. 5485 (xáris) is preeminently used of the Lord's favor – freely extended to give Himself away to people (because He is "always leaning toward them").

5485 /xáris ("grace") answers directly to the Hebrew (OT) term 2580/Kaná ("grace, extension-toward"). Both refer to God freely extending Himself (His favor, grace), reaching (inclining) to people because He isdisposed to bless (be near) them.

[5485 (xáris) is sometimes rendered "thanks" but the core-idea is "favor, grace" ("extension towards").]

He is ALL IN!

It amazes me how convenient God is when people want something from Him or are in crisis-
otherwise they don't really think or care about Him.

This God, Jesus, that I know...He is...completely inside-out life-changing. There's no going back and forth with Him once He has immersed you in Him. He wants you...all of you...body, soul and spirit to know Him and worship Him in spirit and in truth. He wants you to yield to Him, surrender to Him, desire Him- more and above all things.

He wants you to come to love Him as He loves you. Overwhelming, giving, generous, overflowing love.
When stuff, things, possessions, circumstances become secondary and He becomes your Center of your all. 

Not what He can give you, or do for you-or make better for you.
Himself. Above all else.

He's an all-in, all consuming God. He's all in and all consumed about you. Are you Him?

Maybe, just maybe He's allowed these things in our life so you WILL come to find your all in all in Him and Him alone.

Mod Podge, Maps and the She Shed

I bought a couple of maps at Target, $4 each!, and mod podged them to my She Shed floor (it's the only place left I had room and I can imagine someday laying on the floor with Roman looking at all them.)

With the floor being just plywood there are bubbles in it- but that's ok. : )

Places I've been- Ireland and England (Birmingham and London).  

I've also been to 16 states, I think : )
 

I plan on putting polyurethane on top of the mod podge.  At least we can walk on it.   

A new time of immersion....

Well, it's August 9th.  Already.  What a fast and surprising year.  I'm not going to go into details- that's for later, maybe.  It's been a busy year.  I've had a wonderful year yet there has been sadness also.

But for some reason I am....feeling like there is something I need to be doing.  It's as if God's says..."Ok, ready?"  Am I?  Am I ready?  In a sort of a way I am wondering if I am stuck.  But then I feel God- pulling- me to "deeper".  

I really don't want to waste my life.  There are some days I can wrapped up in being worried about the future and material things- new roof, new heat pump, gravel the driveway, pay off the house.  Things like that.  

Then a part of me is SO tired of cleaning houses/offices.  I love the people, it's just that my body is growing older and more tired- and my mind is weary of fighting the battle of going to work each day and night.  But, what can I do that I can make that good of money?  So....in a way, I am stuck in my job unless I want to work more hours for less pay.  

I spent several months reading Devern Fromke's Ultimate Intention.  What is God's ultimate intention concerning Himself and man?  It was very revealing.  Living wholly unto God and being poured out for others.  

Am I living wholly unto God?  Am I being poured out for others?  If God is pulling me deeper into Him, so that He can speak into me- anoint me with Himself- where does this start?  Now, I do know that it's after He has spoke into me Himself then I can be poured out for others- for it has to be Him working/living/speaking through me.  

For one thing I'm going to have to spend less time on FB.  That is such a time waster.  

I think for now, I am going to spend some time each morning in 2nd Peter.  Patricia and I taught through 1 Peter last summer.  I still have the notes on that but we didn't go through 2nd.  I'd like to be able to use my Bible, computer, biblehub and a notebook.  Just good ole fashioned studying, reading and praying through the teaching and learning.  His teaching, my learning.  When I say learning I mean "to KNOW".  

Here are some "know/knowledge" in Greek, Strong's Dictionary and Concordance, also HELPS WORD studies:

Ginosko: 1097 I am taking in knowledge, come to know, learn; I ascertained, realized. properly, to know, especially through personal experience (first-hand acquaintance), experientially know 

Epiginosko 1921- to know exactly, to recognize, I come to know by directing my attention to him or it, I perceive, discern: I found out.

Gnosis 1108  knowledge, doctrine, wisdom; "intellectually know" functional ("working") knowledge gleaned from first-hand (personal) experience, connecting theory to application; "application-knowledge," gained in (by) a direct relationship (from ginosko)

Epignosis 1922
John MacArthur- deep, rich, full, experiential knowledge. It is the knowledge that comes through personal acquaintance with the truth.
Kenneth Wuest-  Knowledge” or epignosis is full, perfect, precise knowledge as opposed to gnósis, imperfect, partial knowledge.
Trench-  the idea in epignosis is that "It is bringing me better acquainted with a thing I knew before; a more exact viewing of an object that I saw before afar off. That little portion of knowledge which we had here shall be much improved, our eye shall be raised to see the same things more strongly and clearly.
-a deep, experiential, accurate and intimate knowledge 
-true, full, genuine knowledge

Wayne Barber- GNOSIS & EPIGNOSIS is the final product of the parallel verbs ginosko & epiginosko 

I want to deeply, intimately, accurately, by experience- KNOW Jesus.  I want Him to immerse me in Him.  I need this.  I need just Him and me, right now.   

So...time to immerse myself in prayer and His revealing His Words to me....

"I will" Oh how God suprises you when you don't expect......

This woman. Oh how she is the flavor in my life. How so? You know when a plate of food is set before you- and it tastes bland until you add salt, pepper and spices, and viola! It's like a whole different plate of food before you!

That's Connie. I have a few memories of my Mom but to have the every day experiential love, care, conversation and activity of a mother I did not have. 

Adult women need mothers too. Connie came into my life when I was an overwhelmed wife and mother. A babe in Christ. We've had about 13 years together now. I'm so thankful how Connie AND Beas have loved loved loved us. 

Connie- your guidance, your laughter, your prayers have added to my life what I missed but never ever thought I would have. You have been so instrumental in breaking cycles in me and my family and helped me become the wife, mother, daughter, friend and sister that I am today. And now, grandmother!

Joel 2:25 I will make whole or good, restore thing lost to you the years the locusts has eaten. 

Now to the One being able to do exceedingly above all things that we ask or think, according to the power working in us to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all the generations of the age of the ages. Amen. - Ephesians 3:20-21

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How is God manifest (revealed and expressed) in us and through us?

What does "being filled with the Spirit"/"living from Christ who lives in me" LOOK LIKE?

How is God manifest (revealed and expressed) in us and through us?

But we urge you, brethren, to excel still more, and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life and attend to your own business and work with your hands, just as we commanded you, so that you will behave properly toward outsiders and not be in any need.- 1 Thessalonians 4:10-12

I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity.- 1 Timothy 2:1-3

Most of all- intimacy with God, praying without ceasing, should be the foundation of our moments and our decisions.

Let all bitterness, and rage, and anger, and clamor, and slander, be removed from you, along with all malice. And be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, as also in Christ God forgave you.- Ephesians 4

To sum up, all of you be harmonious, sympathetic, brotherly, kindhearted, and humble in spirit; not returning evil for evil or insult for insult, but giving a blessing instead; for you were called for the very purpose that you might inherit a blessing. - 1 Peter 3:8-9

But refuse foolish and ignorant speculations, knowing that they produce quarrels. The Lord’s bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged, with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will. 2 Timothy 2:23-26

1 Timothy 1:5

But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. (Hmmm....I'd love to hear a sermon on "conscience". I don't think I've ever heard a sermon on having a good, clean and clear conscience.)

 Be diligent. Be patient. Work hard. Steady, certain steps- one foot after the other. Always remember that you can't remake the choices you make today so make decisions that positively effect your future.