The New Has Come

2 Corinthians 5:17

Therefore if anyone is in Christ he is a new creation; the old has gone the new has come!


As I reflect on all that has happened in this year of 2012, so many emotions fill me, but I am overwhelmed by a sense of victory. So much happened in 2012, much to rejoice over and much to mourn over. In the hardships I endured, I discovered a darkness I never knew existed, and for quite a while, it consumed me. I was broken, beaten down and shaken to the core. And my prayer was that God would restore me. And He has. He has taken my old, broken, beaten down self and renewed my spirit into a new and wonderfully restored creation of His. For that I am grateful beyond words. I look back and marvel at how my Father bent down and picked up the shattered pieces of His daughter's heart that were strewn across the threshing floor. And I rejoice because a victory was won over the darkness that threatened me this year. My Father entered the heart He restored and fought against the war that was waged against my soul, the war that my flesh was too weak to fight on its own. And He was and still is everyday victorious. I could look back on this year and say that it was a horrible year because of everything that hit me. But I can confidently say that this year was truly an amazing year all because my Father reigned victorious in every battle, because He healed all my battle scars and made me a new creation set apart for His purpose. For that I rejoice because I have found worth in the restoring love of the Father. And I rejoice because everything I went through this year brought me to that place of restoration, of renewal and of peace in my Father's perfect purpose.

I encourage you to take a moment to reflect on everything you've gone through this year, good and bad. Bring whatever darkness that is still weighing on your heart to God, and open up your heart to Him. Be honest with Him about the battles you're fighting, for He longs to hear from you, His precious child that He created. If you feel God's spirit pressing on your heart in this moment, invite Him into your heart and ask Him to restore you, to renew you into a new creation set apart for His purpose, and to fight all the battles that your flesh cannot handle, for He will reign victorious. Let your soul be overwhelmed in the satisfaction of this moment, and rejoice, dear child, for the new has come!

Let this message of restoration in Christ be embedded in your heart throughout 2013. I pray that He uses you in powerful ways this year to bring Him glory and to fulfill His purpose for your life. I hope all of you have a Happy New Year filled with new beginnings and adventures with the Lord!

Madelynn

Unshakable

Psalms 16:8

 

I have set the Lord always before me.

Because he is at my right hand,

I will not be shaken.

 

As we go throughout our days, we are thrown things that cause us shake and that threaten our sense of security. We work so hard to preserve that feeling of safety, to stay strong and grounded on the foundations we have built up for ourselves. However, as soon as a storm hits and the ground beneath us begins to quake, detrimental cracks are made in our unstable foundations and we begin to shake and sway in the presence of our overwhelming circumstance. It's so easy for us to give way to the shaking world around us, to fall and just give up. But we don't have to be conquered by our circumstances, we don't have to be shaken in our storms. The Lord stands before you right now with His arms open, patiently and longingly waiting for you to run to Him and take refuge in his presence. Once we run to Him and embrace His unfailing love, He remains at your right hand, constantly sustaining and protecting you. As we root ourselves in the concrete, unbreakable foundation of Christ, we become unshakable through every season of life. Knowing this empowers us in the darkest nights and the strongest storms, and emboldens us to push through our circumstance with complete trust in the unshakable rock that is our Savior.

 

Come to God with all your burdens, with all the things in your life that are causing you to anxiously shake and sway. Be honest and unveiled with Him about what you are going through, for He desires for you to openly communicate with Him. If you feeling God pressing on your heart, cast off all your anxieties and run to Him to embrace His presence. Commit to making Him the foundation of your life, and take confidence in knowing that He will empower you so that you will not be shaken, no matter how severe the storm may seem. Rest in the security that comes with abiding in the arms of your Father.

I pray that this word would sustain you and empower you today. I hope everyone has an amazing day!

 

Madelynn  

Our Rock and Fortress

Psalms 71:2-3 (ESV)

In your righteousness deliver me and rescue me;
incline your ear to me, and save me!Be to me a rock of refuge,
to which I may continually come;
you have given the command to save me,
for you are my rock and my fortress.

In the constant chaos that is life, we so often seek to be rescued from our storms. As we are torn apart by the things we are thrown in life, we cry out to anything and everything that could give us refuge, even if only momentary. We struggle against the raging waves in our souls for so long that we began to continually, deeply crave for solid, safe ground to stand on and find sustaining refuge in. These storms are daily struggles each of us battle in different ways. While our storms may vary in type and intensity, we all share one common thing in the midst of our chaos: the need for a secure refuge. We seek refuge in so many unstable things in this world, and we become blind to the sweet truth that God is the only true refuge, the only one who can pull us from our storms and root us in His solid foundation. No matter how chaotic and crazy our storms and struggles may seem, none are too big for our God to calm. His loving hand is outstretched towards you; you only have to reach out and embrace His saving grace that will ultimately be your refuge. Once we come to trust in the Rock that is our Lord, we will not be shaken, but rather grounded in the all sustaining power and love of Christ.

Bring to God any storms you are struggling against in your life, and open up to Him about the damage that has been done to your heart. If you feel God leading you, invite Him into your heart to calm the storms, to be your refuge and your healer. Rest in the the sweet security the Lord our God provides in His loving embrace, and take confidence in that he is the unshakable Rock of Refuge.

I pray that this would bring peace to your heart today, and that you would find a sustaining joy in this message. I hope your all have a wonderful day :)

Madelynn

Offering of Thanks

Psalms 107:19-22 (NIV)

Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
and he saved them from their distress.
He sent out his word and healed them;

he rescued them from the grave.
Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love

and his wonderful deeds for mankind.

Let them sacrifice thank offerings

and tell of his works with songs of joy.


Each and every single one of us has been to a place where we have encountered distress in some form, whether it be through a deep sadness over a hardship, or frustration over an insurmountable task. As hard as this truth is to embrace, hardships are an unavoidable part of human life. Often we are left wounded and empty in the aftermath of our trials, and in the oppression of the damage left on our souls, it's easy for us to lose hope in being restored. However, there is hope for the broken. When we cry out from the bottom of our hearts to the Lord, He hears our pleas and works powerful restoration in our lives. Once we come to Him in our brokenness and desperation, inviting Him to come in to our hearts and be our healer, He restores us with His unfailing love and gives us new life in Him. He liberates us from our sins and give us a hope beyond our expectations, filling us with a joy in Him through it all. As we experience the depths of His grace and love in the restoration He brings to our souls, our hearts can't help but enter into a spirit of thanksgiving. It pleases God to see His children bringing Him offerings of thanksgiving as they have opened their hearts to His love. It makes His heart happy to see songs of joy and gratitude on our lips, to see His creation living lives of worship in adoration to their Father.

Take this moment to cry out to God from the bottom of your soul, bringing to Him all your troubles and burdens. If you feel God leading you, invite Him into your heart to restore you and be your Healer, for He so desires to make you whole in His love. As you experience the power of His grace and love at work within you, allow your soul to be overwhelmed in a spirit of thanksgiving for all that He is doing in your life. Allow this spirit of thanksgiving to fill your heart in all the days to come, and let it sustain you with an ever present joy found in the love of the Lord.

I pray that this would fill your heart with gratitude and joy throughout today. I hope you all have a marvelous day, and a happy thanksgiving!

Madelynn

Kindness

Isaiah 63:7 (NIV)

 

I will tell of the kindnesses of the Lord,
the deeds for which he is to be praised,
according to all the Lord has done for us—
yes, the many good things
he has done for Israel,

according to his compassion and many kindnesses.

 

Each of us was designed to thrive off of relationships with others in our lives. God created us to be personal beings and connect with those we encounter everyday. For that reason, when a person shows compassion, love or kindness to us, it resonates in our hearts and impacts us, even if just in smallest way. However, when we open our hearts to experience the steadfast love and kindness of our Father, developing a deep relationship with Him, our souls are shaken by the impact of His greatness at work within us, and we are left humbled in the peace His presence brings. If we were to just sit and think of all the kindnesses He has blessed us with, we would be sitting and meditating on His kindness for the rest of our lives, for they are exceedingly infinite. No matter how dark our circumstances may seem in life, no matter how empty of love we may feel at times, God is constantly at work for our good, orchestrating a divine purpose for each one of us. Knowing that the Lord has done many good things in our lives, we should filled with a passion to show this same loving kindness at work in us to others that we encounter. Every person that we pass everyday has a need for love, and God so desires for us to share the same compassion He has showed us to others, for it is too great of a gift to be kept secret and hidden from others.

 

Open up to God about how these verses have touched your heart. Maybe you're yearning for the kindness and goodness of God in your life, or maybe you are struggling with showing kindness to a certain person. However these verses speak to you, bring it to God with an unveiled honesty. If you feel God leading you, invite Him into your heart so that you may experience His steadfast love and kindness powerfully at work within you. Give thanks to Lord for all the good things He has blessed you with, and bring praise to Him for his loving kindness. Rest in the peace the compassion of the Lord brings and anchor your soul in the goodness of His love. Allow your soul to fully cherish this moment and this time with God.

 

I pray that this brings peace to your heart today. Always remember that you are incredibly loved! I hope you all have an amazing day!

 

Madelynn

Worthy of Praise

Revelation 4:11 (ESV)

 

Worthy are you, our Lord and God,
to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
and by your will they existed and were created.

There are so many things today that people deem worthy of praise. Celebrities. Appearances. Relationships. Wealth. We have a never ending list of things that we praise in the world today. But how often do we stop and give praise to the one who is worthy of all praise, who created the Earth and all that is within it? So often we get caught up in singing the world's praises that we forget to give our praise to the one who is truly worthy of our adoration. God knows that He is truly the only One who can fill us up, and it breaks His heart to see us glorifying and worshipping the things of this world. He so desires for us to sit humbly at His feet in awestruck adoration of all that He is, giving thanks to Him for all that He has done. It is in that moment when we humble ourselves before the Father that we are overwhelmed with His powerful presence and experience the greatness of our creator God.

Come to God with all the things that you praise and worship today, no matter how big or small they may seem. If you feel God leading you, cast down all those things that you put on such a high pedestal and humble your heart before Him. Simply meditate on the indescribable greatness of our God in this moment, and allow your soul to enter into a spirit of adoration and thanksgiving to the Lord. He deeply desires for you to come to Him and love Him with reckless abandon just as He has loved you. Take this time to give God all glory, honor and power, for He is worthy and He divinely designed you with a purpose to live your life as an act of worship to Him.

I pray that this would bring you peace and joy today in the greatness of our God. I hope you all have a fantastic day today!

Madelynn

Be Still

Psalms 46:10-11 (NIV)

 

He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.”

The Lord Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.

 

 

As the world seems to constantly increase its pace and thrive on busyness, being still is something that is often disregarded and overlooked. We push through our days with our sights firmly set on our plans and goals for our lives, going to any means to reach our desired destination. Many of us become overwhelmed as the pressures of the world grow heavier and heavier on our souls until we reach our point of breaking. Our bodies and souls were not designed to barrel through our lives without taking a moment to rest. We need rest and peace to sustain both our bodies and our souls. What we need is not an earthly peace that is fleeting and misleading, but rather a divine, heavenly peace that refreshes and nourishes our souls. If we allow our souls to truly rest in the presence of the Father, taking comfort and joy in simply knowing that God is sovereign, our souls become deeply rejuvenated as the Father restores us in His love. The peace that comes with ceasing to push our souls to the brink of breaking, and taking refuge in the greatness of our God is indescribable and is vital in allowing our souls to thrive and be sustained.

 

Take a moment to simply just pause in the middle of the chaos of your life and rest in the presence of the Lord. Be still in this moment and cherish the divine purpose of God that is working powerfully within you. Allow the Holy Spirit to move in you and instill in you a confidence in the sovereignty of our Father. Continue to allow your soul to rest for a few moments longer, truly savoring every sweet peaceful second that comes with resting in the presence of the Lord. As you rise from this moment of rest, let the peace you have found this moment be carried with you through out your day. God is here, He is with you and He will restore and sustain your soul.

 

I pray that this would give you peace in God's presence and restore in you a confidince in God's powerful purpose at work within you. I hope everyone has an amazing day!

 

Madelynn