Cyrus

Isaiah 45:9-"Woe to him who quarrels with his Maker, to him is but a potsherd among the potsherds on the ground. Does the clay say to the potter, 'what are you making?'Does your work say, 'he has no hands?'..." (V 11) "This is what the Lord says-the Holy One of Israel, and its Maker: Concerning things to come, do you question me about my children, or give orders about the work of my hands? (V 12) It is I who made the earth and created mankind upon it. My own hands stretched out the heavens..." I must tell you, before you read any further, that this is a very powerful word from God. God revealed this to me last night as I began to ask Him for a post to write. God spoke directly to my heart and convicted me of changes that needed to be made within my walk with Him. He has also asked me to share it with you... Chapter 45 in Isaiah is talking about an anointed man of God named Cyrus. Though God had big plans to use Cyrus and plans to bless him, Cyrus did not really know just who God was. God would soon show Cyrus parts of His personality and that He was the One True God and Victorious over all! But...God showed Cyrus this over time. He had to let Cyrus decide for himself and to learn to trust Him. God showed me that this passage of Cyrus was similar to the relationship, or lack there of, that was between God and I for over 20 years. I had accepted Christ into my life at a young age but only began to learn that God wanted a relationship with me when I entered my 20's. I would not know God would call me to begin a ministry until 2003 and would not let me even begin sharing it until 2008. Strange? No. Like Cyrus, I had to learn who God really was. God knew there would be trials. Trials that would force me to trust God rather than to question Him. God is very bold and blunt in verses 9-11. He basically says, 'who are you to question the One who made you?' God refers to a potsherd, which is a fragment of broken pottery. He also makes reference to clay giving input to its potter on how to form it! Sounds alot like me sometimes--arrogant! If we find ourselves often questioning God with alot of whys, it is important to ask our self how well we know The Potter. I am often asked how my spiritual life has changed in the past 5 years. I would have to say that the first 3 years were spent learning God's personality. The next two have been about applying what I have learned and believing God to take care of me, whether I can see around the next corner or not. It is crucial for us to get to the point of trusting God to go where He says to go, do what He says to to, or wait until He says move. We can pray for God to reveal things to us but I do believe we must be willing to trust Him if He doesn't reveal it before He gives the command. I am reminded of my son, Canaan. I can see at three years old, he trusts me completely. He rarely questions me when I tell him to go with me. He knows that no matter where I take him, I will let nothing or no one harm him. I want to get to the place where I have complete trust in My Maker. I want to be willing to go through anything as long as God promises to be there. I know He tells us He only wants the best for us but I must believe it. Perhaps one of my favorite parts is in the beginning of the chapter where God says He will take hold of Cyrus' right hand. We can rest assured that when we follow God's path for us, He will lead us literally by the hand. I have so much more to learn about God and I have so much more doubt to get rid of. But I am thankful that He gives much detail about who He is in this chapter of Isaiah. With a description such as Holy One, Lord, Maker, Lord Almighty, we have no reason to doubt Him...so why do we? Love, Corrie My prayer for today: Lord, you are truly Jehovah! Thank you for taking precious time to show me who you are. Please don't stop. I want to know all I can about you. Forgive me for demanding more information from you before I step out on faith. For faith is all about stepping when I hear you, not for what I can see...

FBC Livingston Youth Retreat

I had a wonderful time at the youth retreat with the young men and women from First Baptist Church, Livingston, Alabama! The retreat was at Shocco Springs Baptist Conference Center and the focus was on finding clues to have an intimate personal relationship with God on a day to day basis. I had the privilege of working with Michael Snider and his family (Amanda and Lilly Beth) who led the youth in praise and worship music. God also allowed me to spend the weekend with my best friend Angel, who is the youth leader of FBC. With an Indiana Jones theme, God showed up and showed up big!!! It was amazing to see Him move and prompt changes in the hearts of all that were there. Love, Corrie

Gold

"But He knows the way that I take; when He has tested me, I will come forth as gold." Job 23:10 When I am discouraged, I love to read this verse. It calms me because I feel God saying that there will be an end to my trial. And when, not if, it is over, I will emerge better than I was before the trial started! How? Only if I pass the test, of course. What is the test? I believe it is the testing of my faith and the question God asks me over and over again, "do you really believe I am who I say I am?" While preparing to write this post, I read interesting research by a precious metals broker named Don Stott. In an article, Stott shares that gold was a very important metal in Biblical times. It is the first metal mentioned in the Bible and is used more frequently than any other. Stott explains that David, Solomon, and other Godly men used gold to decorate temples, robes, utensils, and alters. Stott estimates that Solomon's temple could have very easily been valued at over 5o billion dollars! Why did God so often chose gold? Gold has a resistance to oxidation and resists tarnishing. Gold shimmers and as a finished product, can withstand fire. Perhaps this is God's word to us today. God's word is true but it tests my faith daily. If God says that He knows the way I am going, will protect me so that I won't be harmed, and promises that I will come forth shining and of great value, why do I doubt Him? I am reminded of a story that my friend Wendy shared with me. She shared how a man and woman were walking in the woods one day and came up on a small house. They saw fire coming from the chimney and decided to go in. There, stood an old man bent over a large pot over a fire. When the couple asked the man what he was doing, the man replied, "I am making gold." This intrigued the couple and they asked the man about the process. The man shared that he kept the fire very hot and when the impurities came to the top, he would skim them off. The woman asked, "How do you know when you have pure gold?" The man replied, "When I can see my face in it." This story always reminds me of what God is doing in my trials. He will keep the fire hot and my impurities will surface and I will be faced to change them. The way to come forth as gold is to allow Him to see Himself in me. This is taking on the identity of Christ. To be more like Him every day. Philippians 2:5 tells us that our attitude should be like that of Christ Jesus. I must say that is a challenge. I hope this was encouraging to you. To you who are waiting...To you who's fire is so hot that you feel as though you can't stand another day. You will come forth as gold if and only if you begin to allow Him to humble you and be as much like Him as you can. Gold is truly valuable! Love, Corrie My prayer for today: Lord, thank you for your word. Thank you for allowing me to know that I will be protected when I am in the hottest of flames if I depend on you. Forgive me for wavering in my faith. For you have never given me a reason to doubt you...

Mountain View Youth Retreat

How excited I am to share what God is doing! God gave me the privilege to lead the Bible study for the Mountain View Youth retreat at Double Head Resort in Florence, Al. The theme was: The Mystery of God's Treasure and came from Colossians 2:2-3. God's presence was among us and those precious young men and women allowed God to change their hearts and minds. God showed us that some treasures that we chase are only worldly and they never fill the 'gap' that is within us. The Holy Spirit revealed that the true treasure lies within Jesus Christ and is all about having a relationship with Him on a daily basis. It was amazing to watch God make Himself known to those young people. I was honored to be part of such an awesome event! Please keep all of them in your prayers. I think we forget about our youth of today. We forget that they are a rising generation that must be protected from satan's snare. God bless those who are willing to rise up and tell others how they too can know Him.... Love, Corrie