Tag Archives: Kate Motaung

Holdju

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Little boy, barely old enough to talk. A tiny guy of few words, he was always lovable. The last of three, he was definitely spoiled not only by his parents but by his two older brothers, one by 5 1/2 years the other by 11. He followed them around like a puppy, emulating their every move.

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He was everybody’s baby, passed around endlessly at church, fought over by teenage girls way before his time, with little blond curls that were just too hard to resist.

But when exhaustion had set in and he couldn’t take another step, he would melt everyone’s heart with two little words when he would come running up to  you, arms open wide like a funnel and say, “Holdju! Holdju!”

Whoever happened to be the recipient of his affection at the time would lean over, scoop him up and immediately that little head would plop on your shoulder. Victory.

He knew where to go, he knew what to do, he even knew what to say.

Hold you.

Do you? Know where to run when exhaustion has taken over your body, your mind and your very soul?

Do you? Know what to do when you cannot take another step, feel like your world is crashing in and even those closest to you can’t help?

Do you? Know what to say, how to cry out for help and be assured of a response?

When we have reached the end of our rope and are so overwhelmed with LIFE, Jesus is just waiting. Waiting for us to give in, to come running and to surrender to Him! He wants to scoop us up in His everlasting arms and give us the comfort, strength and peace that we so desperately need. “The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms!” Deuteronomy 33:27

Hold you, Jesus? Yes, if we can reach up and call on His name, He will respond.

Don’t be afraid to let Jesus know your need.

Reach up, call out and let Him holdju.

Kingdom2

What Place is This?

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What Place is This? #FiveMinuteFriday! Say what??! I know I have been absent and this post will explain a few things, hopefully. Join Kate and the others and check out their take on the word prompt, Place!

Habakkuk 2:3 “For still the vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end—it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay.”

Places. I’ve been to quite a few places in the last several years. Seventeen fabulous countries, countless states in the good ole’ United and untold adorable and quaint small towns. As Johnny Cash so ably crooned, “I’ve been everywhere, man.”

But there are other places I have found myself in that were not a dot on the map. Some might call them seasons instead of places. Whatever you title them, they have been times of learning, listening and hopefully, growing.

When I first came home from Latvia in 2012, I was restless because of some severe back pain and SI joint issues I was battling. My days were long and painful and I was discouraged because I didn’t seem to have a place to land. Enter Hope in the Healing. I struggled so when God first nudged me to start a blog. Oh, how I resisted! I cried, I wrestled like Jacob and prayed like Moses. Surely, God didn’t mean me!

He did. And I gave in and for the last five years I have tried to write what He has given me.

It was a wonderful place to be, meeting so many new people, making friends online and in real life all because of a blog. A book was even born because of a season of fasting with online friends. All of these things were God-ordained at the time and I know my life was impacted. I hope a few others were as well.

But, every season transitions and the last year and a half have been quiet on the blog. I cannot explain it but when I go to write there is just silence. I have countless, amazing titles for articles that I just am at a loss to put a body with. There is calm, there is stillness at the edge of my pen.

So, what does God want for Hope in the Healing? What does He want for me? I wish I knew the answer to that. The anointing to write may return, I pray it does. But if not? There will be another season, another place that He wants me to land, minister, glean, give, and pour into. The key is being willing to be led, willing to be used and willing to go when He says, “Go” and to stop when He says, “Enough.” Until then, much as I look forward to fall when it is a stifling summer or spring when winter is brutal, I will look forward to the next season, guided by the One who is in control of all things and resting in the peace that only He can give.

Do you find yourself in an unfamiliar, uncomfortable or even, unwanted Place? Wait for His voice, His prompting; His guidance. It will come, it will be clear and it will be right. Your Place, your Season, is in His Will and sometimes there is quietness, a stillness that will be even more strengthening and relational than any platform could ever be, preparing you for your next step.

For the kingdom

 

 

Not as the world gives…

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5 Free Love Notes with any purchase!This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you purchase something from the links.

It’s #FiveMinuteFriday! It’s been too long since I have written on a word prompt and today’s jumped out at me while reading my morning devotion. The word is “World”. Be blessed and visit some of the other takes on this word at Kate’s place!

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” John 14:27 NIV.

Not as the world gives… 
This peace that Jesus promised the disciples He would leave with them was nothing like what the world had to offer. He says in the verse previous, “All this I have spoken while still with you. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.”
That’s the difference. The Holy Spirit difference. Nothing this world has to offer can compare with The Comforter, the Holy Ghost!
The Holy Ghost gives us Power: “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses…” Acts 1:8.
The Holy Spirit (one and the same) assists us in prayer and intercedes: “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.” Romans 8:26 ESV.

“It is the Holy Spirit’s job to convict, God’s job to judge and my job to love.” ~ Billy Graham

He is our Teacher: “But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” John 14:26 NIV.
He gives us encouragement: “Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace. It was strengthened; and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it grew in numbers, living in the fear of the Lord.” Acts 9:31 NIV.
He will reveal Truth for He IS Truth: “But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.” John 16:13 NIV.
He is our Guide: “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.” Romans 8:14 ESV.
He gives gifts: “For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another   the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. All these are EMPOWERED by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.” 1 Corinthians 12: 8-11 ESV.

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So for those times that you think you must survive on your own…remember this list and add to it; it is infinite! This is only #FiveMinuteFriday, even if it were #FiveHourFriday we could not begin to list all the attributes of the Holy Spirit, our Great Comforter. Remind yourself, daily, that He is Omnipresent, Omniscient and Omnipotent. He never changes and He never leaves nor forsakes us. He has left His Word as our guide and perfect strength if we will let it into our lives.
This peace is not as the world gives, when we start looking in the world for these attributes we will find they are not eternal and they are not consistent. Only Jesus can satisfy and give us what we need for each new day. Constant relationship and communication with the Holy Spirit…you can’t get that in the world.

 

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