Light Interacts With Matter

 While skimming over search engine results, the number 137 caught my attention; immediately, I remembered a dream from many years ago in which God reminded me of my destiny and how Jesus intervenes to fulfill it. Physicists describe 137 (1/137) as the fine-structure constant, the probability that an electron will emit or absorb a photon ("Fine Structure Constant - Sixty Symbols", 2009). I knew that God was providing deeper insight into the dream. A photon is a particle of light, and an electron is the negatively-charged particle that whirls around an atom. All matter is comprised of atoms. In effect, the number 137 represents the interaction between light and matter. 

I feel like God is reminding me that I cannot live this life without His intervention, His interaction with me. God is light and I am matter.

1 John 1:5 Amplified Bible (AMP)

God Is Light

This is the message [of God’s promised revelation] which we have heard from Him and now announce to you, that God is Light [He is holy, His message is truthful, He is perfect in righteousness], and in Him there is no darkness at all [no sin, no wickedness, no imperfection]. (BibleGateway, n.d.)

 I have begun praying that Light would interact with matter in personal situations as well as situations involving others. God is so good. He never leaves us to figure this life out alone. He empowers us in difficult circumstances and ultimately, we will be victorious as we submit to Him and His ways.

Below, I have reprinted my dream, which I pray will be as much of an encouragement to you as it is to me.

Much love, Beautiful Grace

I was in a school, the warning bell had rung, and it was time to go to my locker to get my books for the next class. I approached my locker, number 137, noticing that the word DESTINY was spray painted over it in large red letters. I was unable to open the combination lock, and because of this, became more and more anxious. I didn't want to be late for class! I looked down the hall to my left and noticed a friend had opened her lock without difficulty, grabbed her books and headed to class. I didn't understand why I was having such difficulty in opening my lock. Suddenly, behind me, I heard the janitor say, "I'll take care of that lock for you." He easily removed the lock and opened the locker door. I reached into the locker and found no books. I became anxious again, thinking, I won't be prepared for class! At the bottom of the locker, I found an envelope. Inside was a bill, which I thought was unpaid. Again this caused distress to rise up. I opened the to envelope to find that my father had already paid the bill. I was debt free!!!!!

The interpretation of the dream is that my destiny is locked up. I observe other Christians appear to be able to open the door to their destiny without difficulty. The locker number-137, was the goal weight that I had set during a period of dieting. The janitor, representing Jesus, was the One Who unlocked my destiny/goal. I thought that my destiny rested on studying, but in reality, my destiny/goal only relies on the fact that my debts (sins) have been paid by my Father (God). I woke up with deep peace flooding my soul.

 References

BibleGateway. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1 John   1:5&version=AMP

Fine Structure Constant - Sixty Symbols. (2009, April 14). Retrieved from https://youtu.be/WlSLIW0gZtk

When God Speaks: Keep Walking

Early Sunday Morning, I read Romans 8 prior to preparing to leave for church service. Imagine my surprise when Pastor Charles referenced several verses from the chapter I read only a few hours prior to the sermon.

Life Center Ministries 7/8/2018 11:00 am service

Sermon Points: We Need Giants

• Why we need things that strengthen us.
• Some doors are obvious, some are not
• We must keep walking; we must get close
•  It's a picture of faith; it doesn't look like you can do it.
• Promises are protected from those who are half-hearted (keep walking in faith)

• Abram (Abraham) left everything to follow God's direction and promises.

• given the Promised Land
• name will be great
• will be blessed
• will be made a great nation
• will be a blessing

• Are we willing to leave or do we say, "No, I'm fine?"
• "We must change the we think, the way we inform ourselves and obey."
• The promises of God will make us into something great. 
• The promises of God release His blessing on us and cause our life to be significant.
• We become blessed and become a blessing to the world around us.
• Grace is given, we explore it by faith. 

• The 10 spies went to Canaan and 8 gave a bad report while 2 spoke in faith.
• Be careful what you say about what you see.
• When you are afraid, everything seems scary.
• Trust in God's ability to open doors for us and through us. 
• It may look like we are surrounded (by enemies), but we are surrounded by Him (God).

• Giants (enemies) are always around us.
• Trust God, He is with us (our weapon)
• Only see giants when advancing
• Our Promise Land is being conformed to Christ
•  Live our lives in love and walking and carrying the blessings of God wherever we go.
• Giants who keep us from being conformed to the image of God
• "I'm right."
• discouragement
• disappointment
• self-interest
• self-pity
• what's in it for me

Romans 8:31 Amplified Bible (AMP)

³¹ What then shall we say to all these things? If God is for us, who can be [successful] against us?

Romans 8:34 Amplified Bible (AMP)

³⁴ Who is the one who condemns us? Christ Jesus is the One who died [to pay our penalty], and more than that, who was raised [from the dead], and who is at the right hand of God interceding [with the Father] for us. 

When you are in a big trial remember Jesus is interceding for us (praying). 

Romans 8:35 Amplified Bible (AMP)

³⁵ Who shall ever separate us from the love of ^[a]Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 

Romans 8:38-39 Amplified Bible (AMP)

³⁸ For I am convinced [and continue to be convinced—beyond any doubt] that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present and threatening, nor things to come, nor powers, ³⁹ nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the [unlimited] love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

This is our promise!

 

Inside Out or Outside In

 

My earthly father has spoken words throughout my life that have pointed me toward the heart of my heavenly Father. Although unknown to my earthly father, these words have encouraged, confirmed and guided me numerous times. Most recently my earthly father stated, "when you are here, it takes a day that is inside out and turns it outside in." It is important that you understand the back story to dad's statement.

Back in February, dad suffered a massive right-sided stroke. This means that the left side of his body has been affected by paralysis. Dad sleeps most of the time, but is able to wake up with verbal stimulation. Can you imagine being imprisoned inside your own body, completely dependent on others to meet you most basic needs? It is understandable that he would feel as though his known world up to this point would feel turned "inside out."

According to Merriam-Webster's online dictionary, inside out can be described as "in or into a confused or disorganized state"(Merriam-Webster,  2018). Everything my dad has known about the world around him, his physical body and the interactions between the two have now been thrown "into a confused or disorganized state" (Merriam-Webster,  2018).

Understandably, this confused and disorganized state could have a dramatic, negative influence on dad's soul impacting his emotional state. Yet dad says his inside out world can be positively influenced from the "outside in." 

Our heavenly Father has empowered us through His Spirit to positively influence others from the "outside in," but how do we prepare ourselves to be a conduit through which God's Spirit flows through us? We must recognize our need to be influenced by His Holy Spirit; we must cry out to God from our inside out. From the depths of our soul, we cry out for the Lord to influence us, so we can positively influence others.

We cannot allow our souls to reign freely in situations of confusion and disorganization. I am reminded of a Disney movie, Inside Out. This movie depicts a little girl's soul (Riley) as being controlled by various characters representing different emotions. Such a cute movie, but as Christians, we cannot allow "Joy" to be overtaken by "Sadness" as was the case in the movie. If we allow God's Holy Spirit to influence us, then Joy will moderate the other emotions. 

 

(Docter & Del Carmen, 2016)

Psalms 73:26 (KJV)

 

My flesh and my heart faileth: 

but God is the strength of my heart, 

and my portion for ever.

  

Nehemiah 8:10 (KJV) 

Then he said unto them, 

Go your way, eat the fat, 

and drink the sweet, 

and send portions unto them for whom 

nothing is prepared: 

for this day is holy unto our Lord: 

neither be ye sorry; 

for the joy of the Lord is your strength. 

The song, From the Inside Out speaks of a soul crying out to the Lord asking to be consumed by the Everlasting (God). It is in this way we are recharged emotionally and anointed to influence others from the outside in.

Whether we cry out using another person's song or whether we use our own words, a sincere cry to the Lord will prepare us to influence others for good, because He ALWAYS hears a sincere cry...ALWAYS!

 From the Inside Out by Joel Housten

References

Docter, P., & Del Carmen, R. (Directors). (2016). Inside Out [Video file]. Milano: Walt Disney studios home entertainment.

Housten, J. (2012, March 25). From The Inside Out - Hillsong United Miami Live 2012 (Lyrics/Subtitles) (Song to Jesus). Retrieved June 5, 2018, from https://www.youtube.com

/watch?v=9j7ZdKtGcSo&feature=youtu.be

Merriam-Webster, Inc. (2018). Inside Out. Retrieved June 3, 2018, from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/inside out

God is Speaking!

 <sup>Galatians 1:6-10

6</sup> I am astonished and extremely irritated that you are so quickly shifting your allegiance and deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different [even contrary] gospel; ⁷ which is really not another [gospel]; but there are [obviously] ^[b]some [people masquerading as teachers] who are disturbing and confusing you [with a misleading, counterfeit teaching] and want to distort the gospel of Christ [twisting it into something which it absolutely is not]. ⁸ But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to that which we [originally] preached to you, let him be condemned to destruction! ⁹ As we have said before, so I now say again, if anyone is preaching to you a gospel different from that which you received [from us], let him be condemned to destruction!
¹⁰ Am I now ^[c]trying to win the favor and approval of men, or of God? Or am I seeking to please someone? If I were still trying to be popular with men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ.

I am absolutely blessed! Just this morning, I read Galatians 1. I was specifically drawn to the verses above and prayed that neither I nor my family would fall prey to misleading or counterfeit teaching. 

Then the special speaker at Life Center, Stacey Campbell, this morning referenced these same verses. WOW! To me, it was like God saying, "I heard you. It is done!"

For ALL of you reading this post. Please, do not assume that just because something is spoken during a sermon or by a pastor that what is being said is the TRUTH. We must ask His Spirit to give us the discernment needed to see through distortions of the TRUTH. We must read our Bibles and compare what is being said with what it says.

Much love to ALL of you!

Beautiful Grace

2018: The Year of Finishing Lines

In the beginning of 2018, I felt the Lord say that this year would be the "Year of Finishing Lines." Set to graduate with my BSN in May, I knew that finishing line very well. I had been looking forward to it since beginning the path to attaining it in 2014.

Originally, I was not planning to graduate until next year, but the Lord counseled me to take an educational leave of absence from work to become a full-time college student for one semester allowing for the early graduation.

I am not certain what job God has for me after graduation, and this uncertainty has the potential to stir worry, but the Lord keeps assuring me to "Trust Me."

Therefore, I am writing this post as a declaration of my intent to trust God. He has ALWAYS provided and protected and encouraged and shown His love to me in the past. He does not change!

Proverbs 3:5-6

Trust in and rely confidently on the Lord with all your heart And do not rely on your own insight or understanding. In all your ways know and acknowledge and recognize Him, And He will make your paths straight and smooth [removing obstacles that block your way].

This is an awesome encouragement and command.

• Trust and rely confidently...with all of my heart.
• Do not rely...on my own insight and understanding
• Acknowledge and recognize Him...in all my ways.
• He will...make my paths straight and smooth.

Holy Spirit, touch my heart. Empower it, all of it, to completely trust and rely on Your guidance. You will provide, because You are the Provider! I look forward to all of the finishing lines that You have in store for this year. Thank You for all You have done are doing and will do! In the great and powerful name of Jesus!  AMEN!