Open Adoption / When the triad works for the benefit of the child

I Give You To His Heart

7/30/2012 Today's Inspirational -Before You Speak Think

This really hit home for me today, When I saw this pic on FB.  I have been struggling with some LIFE issues with relatives.  We all have our opinions about this or that.  Some people I have encountered in Life be it friends or acquaintances or good OLD relatives are those that are black or white thinkers. A black or white thinker, Can not be open to an others opinion.  They will fight to the end. They are the GOOD OLD I am RIGHT RIGHT RIGHT FIGHTER!  They will run over you like a  bulldozer. I try to kill these type personalities with the last letter on THINK.  - K- is it kind?  Then I also back up and analyze with the N- is it necessary?  Now I love to be around those that use the I- as in Inspiring!  Upbeat and P- for positive people I surround myself with.  Also my motto is always be the H- Helpful with lots of humility.  Selfless.  So THINK before you speak- and use the T- for TRUE- Truth.  Wow what a beautiful world we would live in if we all spoke the truth.  No more catty low self-esteemed women would be out trashing others with deception and lies.  Let's all be awesome THINKERS!  Let's be women of value, High Esteem.  Let's be the CHANGE! 

C-  For I Challenge you to be the change!!!

H-  Be Humble

A-  Positive  Attitude

N-  Noble

G-  God's Light Shinning In the Darkness

E-  Now get Excited 

Where ever you are in your adoption journey.  Together we can be the Change.  We can stand united strongly together.  Those of us that have healed.  Can help those that have recently placed.  Birth Mothers Unite is a sisterhood.  That only another Birth Mother heart to heart can understand.  Because we together know what it is like to place the LOVES of our LIVES with a family.

God Has The Answers

Together for Adoption - Upcoming conference - Sept.14-15 - Atlanta, Ga

http://www.togetherforadoption.org/?page_id=11942

Do you ever feel "ALONE" Post-Adoption Placement Blues?

You made an adoption plan for your child to have a family.  To have their Emotional, Financial, and Spiritual needs met.  You "LOVED" an made the biggest sacrifice a woman can make.  To not think of self, But sacrifice your deep love for your baby "TO HAVE" all of it's needs met.  I have done the same as you.  I made that adoption plan in the sixth month of my crisis pregnancy over 30 years ago.  Now after the placement I was left with empty hands, a empty heart.  With my sane mind I knew I did the very best for her.  But, in all honesty if I would have went on heart feelings I would have ran with her.  To be with me, and she and I would have never been apart.  That was not God's plan.  Being the strong Christian Young Woman that I was at the time of her conception.  I knew deep in my heart with the very "LOVE, MERCY and Grace"  of my ALMIGHTY LORD AND SAVIOR that only "JESUS" could understand my post-adoption blues and pain.  Only JESUS could mend that hurt!  So deep was the loss and grief.  Only God's son could carry me through the pain and to the other side.  The scripture below carried me, It carry's me to this day in all my anxieties or trials in this life.

Philippians 4:6-11

New International Version (NIV)

⁶ Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

⁸ Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. ⁹ Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

If you are suffering post-adoption placement issues, Grief - Reach out to the many Resources available to you.  Contact http://www.birthmothersunite.com/   - Other awesome groups formed and doing amazing healing loving work for birth mothers and birth parents are Blessings in a Basket, Birth Mother Baskets, and http://www.justbirthparents.com/about.html No you are never alone.  Also check out http://birthmombuds.com/ .  Don't stay stuck.  Join in with us - we are all on facebook also.  My Birth Mothers Unite group is the official site.  There is another one that used the same name.  Both are fantastic online support groups. 

Remember in all things God has his own timing.  Like the above statement says.  I have learned in his timing he will take you places you never dreamed you could get nor achieve!  In his timing, All you have to do is have FAITH, Faith as small as a mustard seed.  Can even get you there!

Hope to see you or hear from you.  By Lucy Franklin, CPAC   http://www.birthmothersunite.com/

Today's Inspirational -Who am I?

How do I live my life as a Birth Mother- Annette Milanoski

Listen to internet radio with 7 Pinnacle Culture Radio on Blog Talk Radio

Annette Milanowski - Just Birthparents - Yes I will Love, Yes my heart will heal

Listen to internet radio with 7 Pinnacle Culture Radio on Blog Talk Radio

Today's Inspirational - 7/11/2012

The Suitcase Of LIFE



 

The Suitcase Of Life

 

We all come into life with a small suitcase.  This suitcase as years went and time passed collected a lot of baggage.  Full of useful tools to live  life by.  Yet some of the baggage we collect is a bunch of useless junk!  Such as road blockers, downers, baggage that needs to be sorted and discarded from our suitcase of life.  This suitcase I carry I carry in every part of my body.  I feel it in my mind, body, flowing deep in my veins. I feel it even in my soul.  Every limb of my body.  As I sort through my suitcase I keep what I need, Like great memories, Wisdom taught by elders with great knowledge about "LIFE", Teaching what I need to survive this life.  My suitcase of LIFE use to over whelm me.  I carried it heavy an full weighing me down with a lot of emotional pain for years.  My suitcase of LIFE was holding me prisoner unto so much JUNK.  This year I have reached deep down into that suitcase and slowly started to sort.  To my surprise I found a lot of good in my suitcase! Buried under the rumble of JUNK.  I found some beautiful tools of "LIFE"  I had stashed in my suitcase way down deep in the bottom of the case.  Slowly, I organized the value of my suitcase.  Though bad memories were apart of my suitcase.  I chose to discard them from my suitcase of LIFE. I discarded them in a file that was labeled Consequences of My LIFE LESSONS LEARNED.  Taking power over the storage of my Suitcase OF LIFE.  We all have one.  We all can take over the flowing mess inside this Suit Case of LIFE.  They are all most dealt with now.  As my suitcase of LIFE grows each day now.  I have an awareness, This awareness will benefit my power to discard JUNK, Before it over flows my space in my BEAUTIFUL well organized Suitcase of "LIFE"......... What does your suitcase look like?  Is it time for you to discard some JUNK and make your suitcase not so heavy?  It's time to cast your burdens away.  Take control of your Suitcase of LIFE. Not visa versa.

Written 1996 Lucy Franklin, CPAC



Today's Inspirational- Your Past Does Not Define YOU!

Today's Inspirational GOD SAY'S......

Happy 4th of July - Be Safe! Love to ALL!

Pain

I know the above is true for myself.  I know it to be true for many of us that have grieved the loss of a baby to placement in adoption.  The emotional pain of carrying a baby for 9 months and then to choose adoption for our precious God given lives.  Is painfull.  Many things we face will be painfull in this life.  But as Christians we can know that we do not walk alone.  We will not suffer for ever.  For God will bring joy unto those that are obedient unto his word.  I encourage you to not supress your pain, God gave us tears to let the pain out.  Find a trusted friend,  adoptions specialist or counselor to help you through your darkness.  A Christian counselor would be good.  For they will bring the LIGHT of Christ Jesus unto you. 

Lucy Franklin, CPAC

Today's Inspirational - Always get back UP!

Every Day - God.........

We all were Created By God "For a Purpose....."

That's Why I Pray

Heard this song this morn.  It really touched me.  I pray often through out the day, many nights also.  We each might be only one person.  But, one person can make a "HUGE" difference to one or more in need!

http://www.birthmothersunite.com/

Lucy Franklin,  C.P.A.C.

Dear Lord

 As I look back and reflect on my life.  I am very thankful for the many wonderful people that the Lord Jesus Christ has put in my path.  Just as the picture above say's I have been inspired by some of the best women of Faith.  I will not drop names,  But they surely know who they are.  For I am one that likes to let those that I love in my life KNOW the beautiful influence they have had on me.  The one that challenged me the most now resides in Heaven.  My Dear earthly FATHER.  He also was one that loved me unconditionally and also cheered me on and encouraged me often when needed.  So as the little girl prays above I say this to my fellow sister Birth Mothers, and Birth Parents, To the Triad.  Bless them LORD with good health, security, success, and much peach and a life full of prosperity and JOY!  This life only you can give.  We praise you on HIGH Father God, and ask all this through your son. With great FAITH in thee, Amen .........  Lucy Franklin, C.P.A.C.



God helped me find my way, In the hardest of TIMES!

Develop an attitude of gratitude, and give thanks for everything that happens to you, knowing that every step forward is a step toward achieving something bigger and better than your current situation. 

I am a firm believer that everything that happens in our "LIVES" happened for a reason.  As a Christian, I have learned that what occurred in 1980, When I was going through my "CRISIS PREGNANCY"  When I thought the world had come to a end.  It was GOD miraculously working in the better of two lives.  Mine and my unborn "Precious" as I called her.  See he (God) was drawing me out of my depression over a failed marriage, God was drawing me near unto him.  For at that time of my "LIFE" you find out how many few friends you truly have.  As I watched friends move on leaving me behind in seclusion of one of the hardest times of my "LIFE". I found solice and comfort in God's promises and true words. 

Deuteronomy 31:6 

New International Version (NIV)

⁶ Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”  I now live my life by that scripture. I fear nobody, nothing.  For MY God is with me, My God lives inside of ME.  He is my strength when I feel weak HE IS EVERY SO STRONG. 

When I was making the decision to place my "PRECIOUS" unborn girl with a Mother and Father and family.  I felt God leading me to do what my heart didn't want to do.  That's where the scripture of TRUST comes in. The scripture -

Proverbs 3:5-7

New International Version (NIV)

⁵ Trust in the Lord with all your heart
    and lean not on your own understanding;
⁶ in all your ways submit to him,
    and he will make your paths straight.

⁷ Do not be wise in your own eyes;
    fear the Lord and shun evil.

When I felt over whelmed with WORRY-

Matthew 6:25-27  “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?  Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?
Matthew 6:34  “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

Matthew 11:28-30  Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
Luke 12:25 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his  span of life?
John 14:27 Peace I leave with you;my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you.Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. 

Worry Bible Verses- All About Peace

 

Colossians 3:15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.
2 Thessalonians 3:16  Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in every way. The Lord be with you all.
Psalm 55:22  Cast your burden on the LORD, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved
Proverbs 12:25 Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs him down, but a good word makes him glad.

Philippians 4:6-7  do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
1 Peter 5:7casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.

Worry Verses Say Do Not Fear

Psalm 23:4  Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
Isaiah 43:1-3  But now thus says the LORD, he who created you, O Jacob,  he who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you;  I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;  and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. I give Egypt as your ransom, Cush and Seba in exchange for you.
Hebrews 13:6 So we can confidently say,  “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?”

Psalm 46:10  “Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations,  I will be exalted in the earth!”
Psalm 56:3 When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.
Psalm 121:1-2  I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth.
Proverbs 3:5-6   Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.
1 Corinthians 10:13 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.
Romans 8:31  What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?

I hope if you are reading my Blog an have placed a baby or child for adoption.  That you can know that you are not ALONE that God to lost his only begotten son to sacrifice.  He gave his son's LIFE for our SINS. The attonement was done for You and I.  So that we as believers someday will live eternal life with the KING.  As Birth Mothers we all have a sisterhood so to speak.  We all know the deep pain of LOSS and grief that follows placement.  For some of us this loss never seems to go away.  It feels to some of us like a wound that seems so raw that never will HEAL.  Yet this is not what God wants for us.  He wants us to TRUST HIM.  A trust of FAITH so strong that we can put all the pain on him.  HE is way bigger than any of  our life circumstance that we shall endeavor.  We've got to Let go and Let God do his work everyday in our "LIVES". 

By Lucy Franklin, C.P.A.C.

Your Life is Like A Camera

God is YOUR EVERYTHING!

Dear Lord

A D O P T I O N

My God is Bigger than any problem I face!

In life we all will face many trials and tribulations. The bible has many examples and stories of Great Trials and tribulations that were faced in biblical times.   These trials always were triumphed by God's followers FAITH, and by his promises unto them.  

The Story of Joseph

This is the story about a young man named Joseph.  His father's name is Jacob, and they lived in Canaan from where his grandfather was from.
Joseph was seventeen (old enough to drive a car these days), and he had eleven brothers; and only had one brother younger than him.  Can you imagine having eleven brothers to play with, or fight with?
Because Joseph was one of the youngest sons, his father spent more time with him, and he became very special to him.  So Jacob had a special robe made for Joseph.  (They didn't have jackets back then, so this was a very special jacket).  It was very beautiful and had every color you could imagine in it.
All of Joseph's older brothers saw this and they got very jealous.  The word jealous means that Joseph's brothers disliked him because they thought his father liked him more, and because he got the special coat.  They got so jealous they couldn't even say a kind word to him.
One day Joseph had a dream, and he went to go tell his brothers.  He said, "Guess what?  Last night I had a strange dream.  We were tying up bunches of grain out in the field when suddenly my bunch stood up, while all of yours gathered around and bowed to me."  The brothers looked at each other in disgust, but Joseph continued.  "Then I had another dream that the sun, moon, and eleven stars bowed down to me."
"Who do you think you are?"  The brothers said.  "Do you think that you are better than all of us?  Do you think that we would ever bow down to you?"  This made the brothers dislike Joseph even more.
When he told his father about his dreams he said, "Those are strange dreams."  But he thought carefully about  what Joseph had told him.
A few days later Joseph's father asked him to check on his brothers.  They were in the fields quite a distance away.  So Joseph went to find them.
When the brothers saw Joseph in the distance, they made a plan to kill him.  But when Reuben, Joseph's oldest brother heard this he said, "Let's not kill him, just throw him in a well out here in the field."  He said this because he was secretly planning to come back and rescue Joseph when the other brothers had left.
So when Joseph came to them, they took off his beautiful robe and they threw him in an empty well.  A little while later a group of people came by that were wanting to sell some things in Egypt.  One of the brothers spoke up, "Why don't we sell him to these people, this way we never have to see him again, and we don't have to kill him."
The other brothers liked this idea, so they sold him to the people who were going to Egypt.
Unfortunately Reuben had been working and hadn't seen what happened.  When he returned to the well he noticed that Joseph was gone.  He had been sold to an important man named Potiphar, an assistant to the Pharaoh of Egypt.
The rest of the brothers took Joseph's beautiful robe and dipped it in animal blood and took it back to their father.  When the father saw this he cried, "Some animal has killed my son."  And he cried for many days, so much that nobody could comfort him.
Now Joseph had started out as a slave, but the Lord was with Joseph and He helped him do everything right.  So Potiphar made him his helper, and put him in charge of everything that he owned.
The problem came when Potiphar's wife lied about Joseph to her husband, so Potiphar had Joseph put into jail.
The Lord was still with Joseph in jail, and the warden put Joseph in charge of all the prisoners.  He never worried because the Lord was with Joseph and helped him do everything right.
After Joseph had been in jail for some time a cup bearer and baker to Pharaoh had been sent there.  One night each of them had a dream.  They told their dreams to Joseph and he told the cup bearer that he would soon be let out of jail.  "Please tell Pharaoh about me, and ask him to get me out of here."  Joseph said.
When the cup bearer was freed he forgot about what Joseph did.  So Joseph stayed in jail for two more years.  Until one day the Pharaoh had a dream, and nobody could explain it to him.  The cup bearer then remembered what Joseph had done for him, and Joseph was brought to Pharaoh.
"Can you understand dreams?"  Pharaoh asked.  "I can't, but God helps me."  Joseph replied.  After Pharaoh had told him his dream Joseph explained, "God is warning you.  There will be seven years when nothing will grow and there won't be any food for anyone."
"What can I do?"  Pharaoh asked.  "God has shown you what to do.  There will be seven years before the bad years that will be very good.  So good that there will be extra food for everyone.  So you should save a little bit  of each years harvest, that way you will have enough to get you through the bad years."  Joseph said.
Pharaoh believed all that Joseph told him, and put him in charge of all the land of Egypt.
People came from all countries to buy grain from Joseph, because the whole world was in need of food.  Some of those people were Joseph's brothers.  When his brothers came, Joseph recognized them, but they did not know who he was.  (It had been over 10 years since they had seen him).
The brothers all bowed to him because he was an important person.  Just as he dreamed they would at the beginning.
After a few meetings with his brothers he could not keep it in any longer and Joseph said to his brothers, "I am Joseph!  Is my father alive?"  But his brothers couldn't answer him because they were afraid.  Then Joseph said, "Come here.  I am your brother, the one you sold!  Do not worry, and do not be angry at yourselves for selling me, because God has put me here to save people from starving."
So his father, his brothers, and their families came to live in Egypt with Joseph, and they had all the food they needed.

The Conversion of Paul - Story Summary:

Saul of Tarsus, a Pharisee in Jerusalem after the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ, swore to wipe out the new Christian church, called The Way. He got letters from the high priest, authorizing him to arrest any followers of Jesus in the city of Damascus.
On the Damascus Road, Saul and his companions were struck down by a blinding light, brighter than the noonday sun. Saul heard a voice say to him:
"Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?" (Acts 9:4, NIV)
When Saul asked who was speaking to him, the voice replied, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do." (Acts 9:5-6, NIV)
The men with Saul heard the sound but did not see the vision of the risen Christ that Saul did. Saul was blinded. They led him by the hand into Damascus to a man named Judas, on Straight Street. For three days Saul was blind and did not eat or drink anything.
Meanwhile, Jesus appeared in a vision to a disciple in Damascus named Ananias and told him to go to Saul. Ananias was afraid because he knew Saul's reputation as a merciless persecutor of the church.
Jesus repeated his command, explaining that Saul was his chosen instrument to deliver the gospel to the Gentiles, their kings, and the people of Israel. So Ananias found Saul at Judas' house, praying for help. Ananias laid his hands on Saul, telling him Jesus had sent him to restore his sight and that Saul might be filled with the Holy Spirit.
Something like scales fell from Saul's eyes and he could see again. He arose and was baptized into the Christian faith. Saul ate, regained his strength, and stayed with the Damascus disciples three days.

Points of Interest From the Conversion of Paul:

• After his conversion, Saul changed his name to Paul.
• The conversion of Paul shows that Jesus himself wanted the gospel to go to the Gentiles and that it was no human being's idea. That would quash any argument from the early Jewish Christians that the gospel was only for the Jews.
• The men with Saul did not see the risen Jesus, but Saul did. This miraculous message was meant for one person only, Saul.
• Saul witnessed the risen Christ, which fulfilled the qualification for an apostle (Acts 1:21-22). Only those who had seen the risen Christ could testify to his resurrection.

• Jesus did not distinguish between his church and his followers, and himself. Jesus told Saul he had been persecuting him. This serves as a warning that anyone who persecutes Christians or the Christian church is persecuting Christ himself.
• In one moment of fear, enlightenment, and regret, Saul understood that Jesus was indeed the true Messiah, and that he (Saul) had helped murder and imprison innocent people. Saul realized that despite his previous beliefs as a Pharisee, he now knew the truth about God and was obligated to obey him.
• Saul of Tarsus possessed perfect qualifications to be an evangelist for Christ: He was versed in Jewish culture and language, his upbringing in Tarsus made him familiar with the Greek language and culture as well, his training in Jewish theology helped him connect the Old Testament with the gospel, and as a skilled tentmaker he could support himself with that trade.
• When retelling his conversion later to King Agrippa, Paul said Jesus told him, "It is hard for you to kick against the goads." (Acts 26:14, NIV) A goad was a sharp stick used to control oxen or cattle. Some interpret this as meaning Paul had pangs of conscience when persecuting the church. Others believe Jesus meant that it was futile to try to oppress the church.
• Paul's life-changing experience on the Damascus Road led to his baptism and instruction in the Christian faith. He became the most determined of the apostles, suffering brutal physical pain, persecution, and finally martyrdom. He revealed his secret of enduring a lifetime of hardship for the gospel: "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." (Philippians 4:13, NKJV)

Question for Reflection:

The same Jesus Christ who rose from the dead and did such a mighty work in Paul wants to work in my life too. What could Jesus do if I surrendered as Paul did and gave him complete control of my life?


Moses - Was Adopted -

The Story of Moses

Per your last email, you asked that I give you the basic facts of the story of Moses. In my opinion, this man probably has the most dramatic and powerful story in all of the Old Testament.


I believe that he and King David were two of the greatest heroes that God had in the Old Testament. Their stories are dramatic and extremely powerful, and there is much to learn from both of their stories.
I will go ahead and give you the basics of this man’s story in God, and then end this article with some of the things that we can all learn from his story and how each of these things can be applied in our own personal journeys with the Lord.


As you read the highlights of this man’s story, just sit back, relax, and use your imagination to visualize all of the events in this man’s incredible journey with God. When it is all said and done, this man’s story will go down as one of the greatest God-stories of all time!

 The Birth of Moses

Before Moses was born, the children of Israel were living in slavery in Egypt. The Pharaoh was afraid of the numbers and might of the growing Israelites during this time, so he had all of them put under extreme bondage and slavery so they could not rebel against him. It got so bad at one time, that the Pharaoh had put out an order to have all of the male children killed that were being born by the Israelites.

It was during this time that Moses was born. His mother was a “Hebrew,” which is another name for Israelite. When Moses was first born, his mother hid him for 3 months so he would not be found and killed by the Pharaoh.


After 3 months, his Mother then placed him in an ark made out of bulrushes, and then placed him down by the reeds along the river banks hoping someone else would find him and raise him up safely. It just so happened that the daughter of the Pharaoh was the one to actually find him down by the river as she was getting ready to wash herself in the river.


Once she found him, she found out who the Mother was, and then asked the Mother to nurse him during the nursing stage. Once the nursing stage was over, the mother then gave the child back to the Pharaoh’s daughter in order that she raise him up as one of her own so the Pharaoh would not find out who he was and have him killed. Moses was thus raised up in the Pharaoh’s house.
When Moses became full grown, he became very distressed at seeing his own people suffer under the hands of the Egyptians. During one of these times, he saw an Egyptian beating one of his fellow Hebrew men. Moses became so furious at seeing this injustice, that he killed the Egyptian who had been beating up his fellow brother.
After killing this Egyptian man, the Pharaoh then finds out about it and seeks to have Moses killed. At this point, Moses flees into the desert into a place called Midian. He then lives in the desert for 40 years until God calls him out to deliver His people from their slavery to the Egyptians.

God Calls Moses Out To Deliver His People

After 40 years of Moses being in the desert, God hears the cries of His people under their Egyptian bondage. The Bible says that God acknowledges their cries and plight under the Egyptian rule and decides He will deliver them out of their bondage because of the previous covenant that He had made with their earlier forefathers – Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
God first makes contact with Moses through a burning bush. Initially an angel of the Lord appears to Moses in a “flame of fire from the midst of a bush.” This bush is burning with fire, but the bush itself is not being consumed by the fire!
God then starts to speak directly to Moses. He tells Moses that He has heard the cries of His people in Egypt and that He is calling Moses out to be the one who will go in there and deliver them from their plight with the Egyptians. God is thus going to deliver the Israelites from the Egyptians through Moses! God then proceeds to tell Moses that he will be the one to deliver and lead them out of their captivity, and that he will then lead them into a “good and large land, to a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites and Hittites.”
Moses’ initial response to God was that who was he to go down and bring the children of Israel out from their Egyptian bondage? God then tells Moses that He will be with him during this entire deliverance and for him to tell the children of Israel, when they ask the name of their God, that His name is:

“I AM who I AM.”

He further tells Moses to tell His people that He is the God of their fathers – Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob – and that He is going to deliver His people and bring them into a Promised Land flowing with milk and honey. God then tells Moses to approach the Pharaoh after he has pulled his people together for this deliverance, and to tell the Pharaoh to let the Hebrew people go into the wilderness for their three day journey into the Promised Land.
God then tells Moses that the Pharaoh is not going to let them go on this first request. He then tells Moses to tell the Pharaoh that if he does not let His people go, that He will stretch out His hand and strike Egypt with all of His wonders. God tells Moses that after He stretches out His hand with all of these wonders against the Pharaoh, that the Pharaoh will then let them go.
After receiving all of the above instructions from God, Moses still questions the Lord about all of this. He then asks God – “But suppose they will not believe me or listen to my voice; suppose they say, ‘The Lord has not appeared to you.”
God then proceeds with miracle #1.

He tells Moses to take the rod that he is holding and to cast it onto the ground. Moses does so, and the rod turns into a serpent! God then tells Moses to pick up the serpent by the tail. When he does, the serpent turns back into the rod!

God then moves into miracle #2. He tells Moses to put his hand into his bosom and then to take it back out again. When he takes his hand back out again, his hand then becomes like leprous snow. He then tells Moses to put his hand back into his bosom and to take it back out again. He does, and when he pulls his hand back out again, his hand is restored back to its original condition.
God then tells Moses that if they still will not believe him, that he is to take water from the river and pour it on dry land, and the water will then become blood on the dry land. After God shows Moses all of the above, Moses still questions God as to whether He has chosen the right man for the job. He proceeds to tell the Lord that he is not eloquent enough, and that he is too slow of speech and tongue. God then responds back saying to him:

“Who has made man’s mouth? Or who makes the mute, the deaf, the seeing, or the blind? Have not I, the Lord? Now therefore, go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall say.” (Exodus 4:11)

After God makes this powerful statement to Moses, Moses still questions God on choosing him and says to God – “O my Lord, please send by the hand of whomever else You may send.”
At this point, the Bible says that the anger of the Lord was kindled as a result of Moses questioning His decision to call him out for this task. However, seeing Moses’ lack of self-confidence in himself, God then proceeds to tell Moses to take his brother Aaron with him. God says that Aaron can speak well and for Moses to convey God’s message to Aaron, and that God will be with the both of them and will teach them both what to say and what to do.
God tells Moses that Aaron will be the spokesman to the people, and that Moses shall be to Aaron “as God.” What God just did, in order to help Moses out with his lack of self-confidence, was to make Aaron his spokesman for when he would be too afraid to speak out to the people, but that God would still deliver the orders and instructions as to what was to be done directly to Moses.
There is an awful lot to learn from this dialogue that had just occurred between God and Moses. I will touch more on this in part 2 of this story.

Moses Goes Into Egypt

The Bible says that Moses was 80 years old and his brother Aaron was 83 when they go into Egypt to rescue their people from the Pharaoh.
When Moses and Aaron first approach the Pharaoh, they tell him that he is to let their people go so they can go into the wilderness to hold a feast with their God. The Pharaoh obviously refuses to even consider this first request, so God does His first miracle in front of the Pharaoh and his court.
Aaron takes the rod of Moses, throws it to the ground and it becomes a serpent. However, several of the Pharaoh’s magicians threw their rods down and they also became serpents. However, God then proceeded to show them whose power was greater. God then caused the rod that Aaron had thrown down and had turned into a serpent to devour all of the other rods that had turned into serpents from the Pharaoh’s magicians and sorcerers.
After seeing this display of God’s power, the Pharaoh’s heart starts to harden and he refuses to let the children of Israel go. It’s at this point that God will start to release a full set of 10 powerful judgments against the Pharaoh in order to break him so he will let His people go from his captivity.
Now here are the 10 specific plagues that God will strike Egypt with. As you will see, some of these plagues will be the same ones that God will be releasing once again during the 7-year Tribulation – just before Jesus returns back to us for His second coming.

1. Water Turns Into Blood

Moses takes his rod and strikes all of the waters in Egypt turning all of the water into pure blood. All of the fish in the waters are killed and the Egyptians are loathe to drink from the river due to its stench!
God literally strikes and turns into blood all of their streams, rivers, ponds, and pools of water. This blood ran throughout all of the land of Egypt. However, several of the Pharaoh’s magicians were apparently able to do the same thing with their enchantments, and the Pharaoh still refuses to let the children of Israel go free after this first plague hits him full force.

2. Frogs

Since Pharaoh would not release them after this first plague hits them, God then hits the Pharaoh and Egypt with the second plague – frogs! God says He will smite the land with frogs. God then causes frogs to come up abundantly from the river, and these frogs then enter the people’s houses, bedchambers, along with falling on the people themselves. Just imagine such a scene!
After Pharaoh sees this display of God’s power, he initially tells Moses and Aaron to call off this plague and that he will let his people go. God then causes all of the frogs to die out of the houses and the courtyards.
They were all then gathered together and the Bible says that the land stank with all of the dead frogs now in one big heap. However, after seeing all of this take place, the Pharaoh changes his mind and still refuses to let the Israelites go. So God is now forced to go plague #3.

3. Lice

God then tells Moses to have Aaron stretch out his rod and strike the dust of the land so that it may become lice throughout the land. The lice then falls on both man and beast.
Then the Pharaoh’s magicians tried to do the same thing with their enchantments – but this time they could not do it. The magicians then told Pharaoh that this work was the finger of God since they could not duplicate this miracle themselves. However, the Pharaoh still refuses to let the people go.

4. Flies

So now God is forced to release the next plague – a swarm of flies that will come upon all of the Egyptians and into their houses! These flies come into all of the Pharaoh’s houses, into his servant’s houses, and over all of the land. The Bible says that the land became corrupted because of the huge swarm of flies that attacked the land, the people, and all of their living quarters.
Once again the Pharaoh relents, tells Moses to have God call off the flies, and that he will let his people go. Moses does so. God then pulls back the flies and Pharaoh once more changes his mind and still refuses to let the Israelites go. Talk about a battle of wills!

5. Pestilence on the Livestock

In this next judgment, God causes all of the Egyptian’s livestock – all of their cattle, horses, donkeys, camels, oxen, and sheep to be stricken with a pestilence that kills all of them dead on the spot. Still, the Pharaoh refuses to give in and let God’s people go.

6. Boils

In this next judgment, God tells Moses to tell Aaron to take a handful of ashes from a furnace and to scatter it toward all of Egypt causing boils and sores to break out on all the men and beasts. These boils also hit the Pharaoh’s magicians and they could not even stand before Moses due to the effect that the boils were having on them. But once again, the Pharaoh still refuses to give in.

7. Hail

In this next judgment, God causes heavy hail to rain down on every man and beast that is not brought inside. In addition to the hail, God also causes fire to mingle with the hail. The Bible says that when this hail and fire were released, it struck the entire land of Egypt – both man and beast who were in the fields and every herb, along with breaking every tree in the fields.
Again, just imagine such a catastrophic scene taking place! Once again, this judgment causes Pharaoh to relent. Moses then asks God to pull off this plague. And no sooner does God pull this plague off of them, the Pharaoh then once more changes his mind and still refuses to let the Israelites go!

8. Locusts

In this next plague, God causes locusts to swarm the face of the earth so that no man can see the earth. Again, God pulls back the plague after Pharaoh says that he will let His people go. But then once again he changes his mind after this plague is pulled off.

9. Darkness

In this next judgment, God tells Moses to stretch out his hand toward heaven. When he does, this then causes complete darkness to cover the entire land of Egypt. This thick darkness lasts for 3 days. It was so pitch dark, that people could not even see one another, nor could anyone rise from their place because they could not see even one inch in front of their faces.
Again, just imagine complete and total pitch darkness where no one could see anything – even to the point that you could not even get up and walk because you could not even see one inch in front of your face! Again, the Pharaoh only partially gives in. So this now sets the stage for the last and final judgment.

10. Death of All the Firstborn

In this last judgment, God will have all of the firstborn stricken dead by an angel of death. However, God tells His people to sprinkle the blood of a blemish free lamb on their door posts in order to keep this angel of death from killing their firstborn. At midnight, this angel strikes, killing all of the firstborn of the Pharaoh, his servants, all of his people, and all of his livestock.
This last and final judgment finally breaks the Pharaoh and he agrees to let the Israelites go. The Bible says that the Israelites had been kept under Egyptian rule for 430 years. The Israelites then start to leave – but there is now one more big event that must happen before they are finally set free for good!

The Parting of the Red Sea

This next miracle by God has to be one of the most dramatic and spectacular in all of Scripture. The children of Israel have now left Egypt. The Pharaoh, after allowing them to leave, once more changes his mind and decides to pursue them with all of his army in order to try and get them back. When the children of Israel see this, they start complaining to Moses.
They end up getting stuck before the Red Sea. They have no where else to go. They are literally at the end of their rope. If they try and move forward, they will drown in the Red Sea. If they try to move backwards, they will be caught by the Egyptian army that is moving in on them. The only thing that can save them now is a powerful miracle from God Himself.
Moses then steps forward in this hopeless situation and says to the Israelites:

“Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever. The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.” (Exodus 14:13-14)

God then says to Moses:

“But lift up your rod, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it. And the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea.” (Exodus 14:16).

The Red Sea is literally parted by dry ground! The Israelites then proceed to cross over the Red Sea onto this dry ground mass that God has now miraculously provided for them in order for them to escape from the Egyptians.
As the Israelites were crossing over on this dry ground mass, the Bible says that the “waters were a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.” Just use your imagination to visualize such an incredible scene!
After all of the Israelites had safely crossed over to the other side of the Red Sea, God then tells Moses to “stretch out your hand over the sea, that the waters may come back upon the Egyptians, on their chariots, and on their horsemen.” At this time, the Egyptian army had just entered onto the dry land mass that God had just provided for the children of Israel.
Moses then proceeds to stretch out his hand over the sea and then the sea returns to its full depth while the Egyptians were fleeing into it. The Bible says that the Lord overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea! The waters then returned and covered the chariots, the horsemen, and all of the army of the Pharaoh and not one of them was left standing! God had literally wiped Israel’s enemy right off the face of the map with this one incredible act of deliverance!
After the Israelites had crossed over and saw this miracle take place right before their very eyes, they then saw all of the Egyptians lying dead on the shore. The Bible says that all of the children of Israel now believed in Moses and the Lord after having witnessed all of these incredible supernatural events.

The Wilderness Experience

Before God decides to take the children of Israel into the Promised Land, He first decides to test them by keeping them out in the wilderness for about two and half years. Mind you, this was only a 3 day journey to get to the Promised Land of Canaan.
However, God apparently took them on the longer route in order to test their patience, their resolve, and whether or not they would stay faithful and loyal to Him during this journey. Again, there is much to learn from this part of the story. I will touch more on this in part two.

1. Moses Receives the 10 Commandments

During the time of testing in this wilderness experience, the first thing God wanted to see was whether or not His people would keep His laws and commandments. So God then proceeds to lay out all of the laws that He wants the Israelites to abide by.
In the third month after being delivered from Egypt, God tells Moses that He will literally come down Himself onto Mount Sinai in the presence of all of His people.

When God comes down, the Bible says that Mount Sinai is completely enveloped in smoke. There were thunderings, lightnings, thick smoke, and the entire mountain “quaked greatly.”
God then descends upon Mount Sinai “in fire.” The smoke was like the smoke of a furnace the way it was ascending off of the mountain. Just imagine such an event – that God the Father Himself is descending from His throne in heaven to visit these people with His manifest presence!

God only calls Moses to come to the top of the mountain to meet and talk with Him. No one else was allowed to go up. God then proceeds to tell Moses what the basic 10 commandments are going to be. In addition to the 10 commandments were other specific laws and ways that He wanted the children of Israel to abide by. Moses then comes back down to deliver all of this to the Israelites.
Shortly after this first event, God then calls Moses back to the mountaintop once again. Moses stays on the top of the mountaintop this time with God for forty days and forty nights. The Bible says that the sight of the Lord at the top of the mountaintop was like a “consuming fire.”
In this second meeting with God, God gives Moses specific instructions on building a tabernacle where God’s manifest presence can dwell with the Israelites out in the wilderness for the 40 years they were going to have to stay out there. It was during this second meeting that God gives Moses the 10 commandments written on a stone tablet!

He was given two tablets and the tablets had writings on both sides. All of the writing on the tablets was literally the handwriting of God Himself – literally engraved right on these stone tablets.
Again, just imagine this entire scene. This one man, Moses, is allowed to meet and talk with God direct for 40 days and 40 nights and then to top it all off, receives two tablets of stone with God’s personal handwriting engraved on these two stone tablets!

While all of this is going on between God and Moses for the 40 days, the most unbelievable thing starts to happen at the bottom of this mountain. The Israelites then start to get impatient when they see Moses is delayed in coming back down from the mountaintop. They start murmuring and complaining, saying they do not know what has become of Moses.
At this point, they start to make a golden calf in which to worship. God, seeing this from the mountaintop, becomes furious! God then calls these people a stiff-necked people and threatens to consume them. God then tells Moses that He will make him a great nation, but that He is going to kill the rest of the Israelites who are worshiping this false idol.
At this point, Moses then proceeds to stand in the gap for his people and argues with God not to kill and consume them. The Bible says that the Lord then relented from the harm which He said He would do to His people.
After Moses convinces God not to consume His own people, he then comes back down from the mountain to see what they have been up to. When he sees the golden calf they had made to worship and they were all singing and dancing around it, he becomes furious!
At this point, Moses takes the two tablets of stone that God had just given him, and throws them down at the foot of the mountain breaking both of these tablets into pieces! He then proceeds to take the calf which they had just made, burns it, grinds it down into a powder, scatters it into the water and then makes the Israelites drink it! Talk about the full wrath of God in manifestation!
After demolishing this golden calf, Moses then appears before all of the people and tells them to choose which side they are going to stand on – the Lord’s side or their own side. After each man takes the side they wanted to be on, Moses then gives the orders to have all the people who did not choose God to be killed right there on the spot. The Bible says that 3000 men were killed that day due to their rebellion against God Almighty Himself.
Moses then goes back up to Mount Sinai, and God once more gives him 2 more tablets of stone to replace the ones that he had just broken. However, in this meeting with God, something really awesome happens!

2. Moses is Allowed to See the Manifest Presence of God

In this next meeting with God, God tells Moses that He is going to literally show Himself to Moses. However, God tells Moses:

“You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live.” (Exodus 33:20)

God then tells Moses to stand in the cleft of a rock. He will then proceed to pass by Moses, but only showing Moses His back, not His face. Here are the exact words from God Himself:

“Here is a place by Me, and you shall stand on the rock. So it shall be, while My glory passes by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with My hand while I pass by. Then I will take away My hand, and you shall see My back; but My face shall not be seen.” (Exodus 33:21-23)

This has to be the topper experience for Moses. With everything that he has just witnessed – with God releasing His people from Egypt with incredible displays of supernatural power, being able to talk direct with God through a burning bush, being able to talk direct to God through fire and smoke up on Mount Sinai, and then to top it all off, God actually allows Moses to see His manifest presence from His backside. It just can’t get any better than this. And this one man experiences all of this in one lifetime!
The Bible then gives Moses what I feel may be the highest compliment that God could ever give to anyone. The Bible says:

“So the Lord spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend.” (Exodus 33:11)

The #1 thing that God wants from each of us is a close, intimate, personal relationship. Moses obviously accomplished all of this in his lifetime. He may have initially been afraid to deliver God’s people from Egypt when God first called him out, but he had no fear when the time came to meet God face-to-face and talk directly with Him. The Bible says that the rest of the Israelites were too afraid of God when He initially manifested His presence up on Mount Sinai.
After Moses has this incredible direct encounter with God Himself, the Bible says that when he came back down off the mountain – that the skin of his face shone. The people were afraid to come near him due to the bright glow that was coming off his face after being in the manifest presence of the Lord! Moses then had to wear a veil over his face for a while to help hide the glow so as not to overwhelm the rest of his people.

3. The Tabernacle

The other amazing thing that occurred during the Israelites 40 year journey in the wilderness was the building of a tabernacle that would hold the manifest presence of God Himself in it. God gave Moses specific instructions as to how He wanted this tabernacle built.
After the tabernacle was built, the Bible says that a cloud covered the tabernacle during the day and the appearance of fire covered it at night! God would thus personally lead the Israelites on this 40 year journey by the “cloud and the fire.”
Whenever the cloud would lift up off the tabernacle, the Israelites would follow it to wherever it would settle. As long as the cloud stayed on the tabernacle, the Israelites would stay right where they were camped. Once the cloud would lift off the tabernacle, they would then once again follow it to wherever it would settle. God’s manifest presence was thus directly guiding them on this wilderness journey.

4. The Spies Come Back With a Bad Report

Near the beginning of the 40-year journey through the wilderness at about the two and half year mark, God brings the children of Israel up to the borders of the Promised Land – the land of Canaan. The Israelites send 12 spies into this land to check it out before they will enter in. They then make their last and final fatal mistake before God the Father.
Ten of the twelve spies come back with a bad report. They tell the rest of the Israelites that the people who dwell in this land are strong, the cities are well fortified and large, and that they will not be able to overcome these people because they are stronger and larger in stature than the Israelites were themselves.
Giants and strongholds thus kept the Israelites from believing that God could overcome these human obstacles for them. After hearing this bad and negative report, Caleb speaks out and says:

“Let us go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it.” (Numbers 13:30)

During their journey through the wilderness, the Israelites were constantly complaining about anything and everything. Not enough food, not enough water, too long of a time in the wilderness, etc. Finally, when God was just about ready to reward them, they make their last and final mistake of not believing in Him and that He could overcome the giants and strongholds they had seen in this land.
When God hears this bad report from the 10 spies, He says that is going to be it. Here is the direct word from God Himself:

“… because all these men who have seen My glory and the signs which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have put Me to the test now these ten times, and have not heeded My voice, they certainly shall not see the land which I swore to their fathers, nor shall any of those who rejected Me see it. But My servant Caleb, because he has a different spirit in him and has followed Me fully, I will bring into the land where he went, and his descendants shall inherit it.” (Numbers 14:22-24)

God then goes on to further state:

“Surely none of the men who came up from Egypt, from twenty years old and above, shall see the land of which I swore to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, because they have not wholly followed Me.” (Numbers 32:11)

Joshua and Caleb were thus the ones to lead this younger generation under 20 years old into the Promised Land, and they were successful in conquering and overcoming all of the giants and strongholds that the older generation initially saw. The rest of the Israelites 20 years and older all died out in the wilderness over the next 40 years due to their lack of faith and belief in God!
Imagine these people saw God deliver them from the Egyptians by throwing 10 powerful plagues against the Pharaoh. They then see God literally part the Red Sea. They see God’s manifest presence several times up on Mount Sinai. They see God give Moses 10 commandments miraculously manifested on two stone tablets. And yet, they still could not believe that God could overcome and conquer the giants and strongholds they saw in the Promised Land.
No wonder God blew His cork and washed His hands of them and left them to die and rot out in the desert. The most amazing thing about all of this is that not one man over 20 years old passed this test with the Lord.
Unbelievable! I guess that is why Jesus says blessed are those who have not seen and yet still believe.

The Death of Moses

The saddest part about this man’s story is that he was not allowed to go into the Promised Land with the rest of the younger generation. Moses died on Mount Nebo and was 120 years old when he died.
The Bible says that the reason Moses was not allowed to go into the Promised Land was due to the fact that he “trespassed against God among the children of Israel at the waters of Meribah Kadesh.”
What happened in this incident is that God told Moses to speak out to a rock in the presence of the Israelites and that the rock would then bring forth water for the people and their animals. However, for some strange reason, Moses strikes the rock twice with his rod instead of just speaking out to the rock as God had told him to specifically do. He was thus in direct violation of a direct command by God Himself. The Bible really does not say why Moses did this. He obviously should have known better.
However, this one act of disobedience should not taint this man’s incredible story and adventure with God. This is obviously something that we can all learn from. When God tells you to do something specific – do not ever question His command. Just do it or else you could reap serious consequences like Moses did. You could end up losing out on a very big blessing that God may have had in store for you.
In the next article on this man’s life, I will cover what we can all learn from this man’s incredible journey and adventure with God. This next article is titled: “Lessons from the Story of Moses.”

5 Simple Rules for a HAPPY LIFE

God Has A Plan

"Just Call On God!"



I can  honestly say.  If I had not had God to walk with me through my Crisis Pregnancy in 1980.  I would not be writing this blog today.  For as a Christian I knew deep in my heart that the Lord Almighty "Jesus" would give me the strength that I needed.  Emotionally, as well as physically to have the best pregnancy possible.  For I had all that I needed. For I had GOD!  I stood strong on his promises.  That he would see to it that by honoring him through out my pregnancy.  He would bless my unborn baby with good health.  She was indeed born "PERFECT".  A beautiful healthy perfect "Child of God"  As she now does call herself often she tells me she is God's Child.  I have strong Faith in my Lord and Savior.  He protected she and I back then, and He still does today.  I remember like it was yesterday the trails and the pain I felt.  The tears I shed, How my heart bled.  The grief, It was all normal. What I felt then.  For I as the scripture says in

Psalm 139:14-20

New King James Version (NKJV)

¹⁴ I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Marvelous are Your works,
And that my soul knows very well.
¹⁵ My frame was not hidden from You,
When I was made in secret,
And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.
¹⁶ Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed.
And in Your book they all were written,
The days fashioned for me,
When as yet there were none of them.

¹⁷ How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God!
How great is the sum of them!
¹⁸ If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand;
When I awake, I am still with You.

Often I did read this scripture.  For it validated the very reason that I did carry this blessing, By keeping in constant communication with God, I felt his LOVE for my unborn child as well as myself.   This "Child of God".  We are all made and created in the secret place of our Mothers womb. By the Almighty!  So what ever you are dealing with.  What ever your storm looks like.  It's not to LARGE for the KING.  Call on GOD!  Then trust with all your heart. That he will deliver you.  Understand that his ways are not our ways.  His timing is just that.  His timing is when the TIME is right for you to receive the blessing. Don't go on your own agenda's.  Be patient. Keenly watch, and you will be truly amazed what the Almighty can do with your "LIFE". If you will give it all to him.  He can move Mountains, We can not.  He can rescue you from the evils of this world.  You can not.  So if you have lost your way, or if you are in need "JUST CALL ON GOD!"  He is patiently waiting for your call.  

The other scripture I've held onto that My own Mother shared with me and lived her life by was,

Philippians 4:13

New King James Version (NKJV)

¹³ I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

                          
                                                    By

I Can Choose!

Today's Inspirational - 6/14/2012

Your Past.........