We are Victorious!

I have a weekly praise team rehearsal on Mondays.  This Monday was no different...well actually it was.  Let me back track a little, if I may? (why, yes I may since I am the one behind the keyboard)

If you know me well, then you know that I came out of the womb singing!  Seriously though, I have been singing pretty much all of my life, growing up in a family of singers and muscians, however my voice is the only instrument I can "play".  I have such fond memories of standing on a chair behind the church pulpit, dad with guitar in hand standing next to me, and doing what came naturally for me.  Even at that age (5), I knew God had given me a gift, not just to sing, but to worship Him with my voice and lead others to worship. 

Music is such a powerful tool, good or bad, and I have watched over the many years from behind the microphone as those melodies and lyrics reach out and pull others in.  I have also been on the receiving end of that and been amazed at how God has used music to move me, heal me, and to change me...from within.

So, back to Monday.  It is such habit now to show up on Monday night, run through the songs, correct notes and perfect as best as possible.  Our team is working on a new song that I will lead, and I have been over and over this song numerous times now. It is an upbeat and really fun song to sing with some powerful lyrics.  "I Am Victorious" being the title and key phrase or theme found within the song. 

This week, we began to run through tthe song as we have the past few.  As I was singing through the song, I really began to LISTEN to what I was singing and found myself lost for just a few moments, smiling from ear to ear (as we say in the great South) as I realized in that moment that God was using this song to "remind me" that I am truly victorious and that my purpose and my destiny is still in His hands...that EVERY battle has been won! That means everything that I am trusting and believing Him for. I just have to continually look to Him and not my own strength.  (Easier said than done at times it seems!)

I have come to a place in my life where I actually look for those "God moments", but every now and
then they sneak up on me and catch me by surprise.  Much like this particular moment set aside just for me on Monday night.

Perhaps you are believing God for the miraculous or questioning where you fit in the grand scheme of things?  Allow me to share these lyrics with you and remind you that you, yes you, are the apple of His eye and His hand is outstretched towards you, always.  "I AM VICTORIOUS" through Christ Jesus...and so are you!

I Am Victorious

I'm a person of destiny, grace and mercy follow me
And I know I'm an overcomer

I will always give the praise, to the One who forever reigns
In Him I triumph every day

Cause every battle has been won, so I've already oversome!

I am victorious, I am victorious, I am victorious..yes I am, yes I am!

I'm living the best life, living the blessed life

I am Victorious!

Don't Be So Sure of Yourself...

I am using my lunch time to catch up on a friend's blog and am inspired, yet again, to attempt the world of "blog". 

If I am honest, I must admit that I sometimes find myself slipping into a state of "oh, I am past that" only to find that, perhaps, I am not.

It is the ultimate reminder that we are forever human on this earth and without the all sufficient DAILY grace of Jesus Christ, we aren't "past" anything this world has to offer as a distraction or an opportunity to fail.

Not to say that we shouldn't continually grow in our walk with the Lord, we must. We should be moving from good, to better, to best in our actions, our words, and our thoughts.

Rather, to say that we can't get "complacent" and give the enemy of our soul (or whatever you may prefer to call him) even the tiniest hint of an invitation into our life.  Once the invitation is extended, he slips in and makes himself at home and often we pull up a chair and engage.

All of that to say...don't be so sure of yourself (myself included).  Without Him, we are of no good!

A Work Of Art

I was standing in my bathroom this morning getting ready for work and started thinking about art...I know, kind of random. I love art. Not just one kind but a variety of styles. The pieces I tend to be drawn to most however, are "Abstract" works of art. I enjoy exploring all the intricate details allowing my mind to create an image within the images. Sometimes I will look at it from one perspective and see something and then perhaps my perspective will change uncovering something that I didn't necessarily see the first...second...or even third time I viewed the piece.

As I stood there looking at this particular piece on my bathroom wall, I realized I am just like that. An Abstract work of art designed by THE creator of the entire universe.  I am like that piece of art that the artist is never quite "finished" with. A work in progress that is continually altered, added to, changed and refined towards becoming a masterpiece. When we allow, God washes over us with His miraculous paint brush, seeing us from HIS perspective, uncovering the things within us that need change, revealing greatness that perhaps we didn't even realize was there,  ultimately creating us to be exactly what He has in mind...His divine Work of Art.

A New Thing

Expressing my feelings, thoughts, emotions, opinion, etc...on paper, computer screen, or phone screen has always been, and honestly still is, a very scary thing to me.  Lately, I have found myself wondering why that is. There are alot of reasons I suppose. Fear of offending someone, fear of rejection, fear of saying the "wrong" thing, fear of vunerability,  or maybe just the sting of past regret that came with sharing what was really on my heart only for it to blow up in my face. If I am honest, all of those things and probably more have, at the very least, contributed to my "fear" of entering the world of BLOG. I have a friend who always tried to convince me to blog...I was never brave enough.

Today...I feel brave enough. You see, I have been "recreated" and I am not the same ME I used to be.  Full of regret, worry, anxiety, fear of rejection, etc... God is doing a new thing in me and I have a story to share.  I am not sure how it will unfold in the days to come, or how quickly it might occur, but I decided today to start a "new chapter" and take the plunge in beginning a BLOG. Hopefully my "heart expressions" will be an encouragement to someone else. If so, then it's worth the risk.

More to come...