Author: Kristi Wilson

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Revealing Character

Talk about getting to practice what you preach, this morning brought a whole new object lesson and a reminder of why I need to experience more growth in the “fullness of God”.

Dave and I are heading out for an early appointment this morning. I got up intending to have my Bible reading, prayer time and writing the blog before I jump in the shower. I had an idea of what I thought the Lord wanted me to share this morning, so I turned the coffee on and sat down to pull my thoughts together, praying, and waiting for the coffee to finish.

Really no time to spare before we need to head out the door.

Coffee’s done – yes! Picked up my cup and was filling it when I realized the auto shut-off didn’t. There was coffee running down on the burner plate and I had a mess! This was not my idea of what the verse “my cup runneth over” should mean.

Darn it!! I discovered that the filter, for whatever reason, hadn’t drained the way it should. When I opened the filter basket, it was still filled with hot water and grounds were everywhere. That also meant that my coffee decanter would have grounds in it. This morning I get to chew my coffee – not my favorite thing.

I wish I could say that the first thoughts that came to mind were “oh good, another example to share on growing in Christ”; those were not my first thoughts. I was frustrated and still am. The coffee pot will have to wait until later to be cleaned but my heart and my mind needed an immediate tending too.

“And we are also happy with the troubles we have. Why are we happy with troubles? Because we know that these troubles make us more patient. 4 And this patience is proof that we are strong. And this proof gives us hope. 5 And this hope will never disappoint us. We know this because God has poured out his love to fill our hearts through the Holy Spirit he gave us.” Romans 5:3-5 ERV

Happy with troubles? I will be perfectly honest. I handle big situations quite well, it’s the small and unexpected things that catch me off guard. Patience proves our strength and gives us hope. A hope that doesn’t disappoint because God has poured out His love to fill our hearts. (There’s that fullness again that we were talking about yesterday.)

“If you let that patience work in you, the end result will be good. You will be mature and complete. You will be all that God wants you to be.” James 1:4 ERV

Am I glad for the coffee failure this morning? Not at all. Am I thankful that the Lord can speak to my heart through the little things? Absolutely!

The Father isn’t chastising or condemning me because of my immediate frustration. Instead, He is teaching me through it and revealing His character for me to conform too. He wants me to grow up into Him!

What areas of character growth is He revealing to you today? Be happy – you’re growing!

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Full Enough?

How full is full enough? Each morning I pour myself a cup of coffee, several cups, but I only fill the cup about 2/3 full. It’s full enough.

If it were any fuller I would probably spill it on my way to the couch or if I’m not paying attention, and I’ve done this before, I spill it as I’m picking it up and then have a stain on my bathrobe. Not a good thing.

When were in a restaurant I watch to see how full the waitress fills my coffee or the water glass. I certainly don’t want to spill and make a mess while out in public. That would be embarrassing.

However, when we take the truck to the gas station and pay for a “fill-up” we want the tank completely full. So much so that a little of the fuel may spill out the neck of the fuel tank. There seems to be levels and conditions of fullness.

For the last several weeks the Lord has been dealing with me on my level of His fullness.

” I want you to know all about Christ’s love, although it is too wonderful to be measured. Then your lives will be filled with all that God is.” Ephesians 3:19 CEV

And right across the page in my Bible are these verses.

“Christ gave these gifts to prepare God’s holy people for the work of serving, to make the body of Christ stronger. 13 This work must continue until we are all joined together in what we believe and in what we know about the Son of God. Our goal is to become like a full-grown man—to look just like Christ and have all his perfection.” Ephesians 4:12-13 ERV

Is this really possible? To be filled with ALL that God is, to look like Christ, to be full-grown? It must be or the Bible would be lying to us and that would make God’s word inaccurate and unreliable. Either all of God’s word is true or it’s a lie; we don’t get to pick and choose what we want to be true and disregard the rest.

God, the Father, wants us to grow up to be like Jesus. Jesus’ life was filled with the Father’s power. God wants us to experience His power in the same way that Jesus did. He wants us filled.

“ I say this because all of God lives in Christ fully, even in his life on earth. 10 And because you belong to Christ you are complete, having everything you need. Christ is ruler over every other power and authority.” Colossians 2:9-10 ERV

This is God’s desire for all of us who have accepted Christ; Christ is our example of what God desires to do in our lives. The more we get to know His word, the more time we spend with Him the fuller we become. My goal is to be filled to the brim and running over with the power of God.

“You prepared a meal for me in front of my enemies. You welcomed me as an honored guest. My cup is full and spilling over.” Psalm 23:5 ERV

I’m not there yet – but I’m on my way!

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How Big Is God?

That’s a good question! How would you answer it?

This morning as I sit here trying to formulate my answer, I am reminded of the many examples of God’s greatness in the Bible. Let me share a few:

  • In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth
  • He saved Noah during the flood
  • Parted the Red Sea
  • Had the sun stand still
  • Delivered Daniel from the lions
  • Helped David kill Goliath with a stone
  • Blinded an entire army
  • Raised Lazarus from the dead
  • Stopped a storm at sea
  • Orchestrated a jail break
  • Opened blind eyes
  • Healed a blood disease
  • Turned water to wine
  • Defeated death

“The Lord is your God. He is the God of gods and the Lord of lords. He is the great God. He is the amazing and powerful fighter. To him everyone is the same. He does not accept money to change his mind. 18 He defends widows and orphans. He loves even the strangers living among us. He gives them food and clothes. 19 So you must also love them, because you yourselves were strangers in the land of Egypt. 20 “You must respect the Lord your God and worship only him. Never leave him. When you make promises, you must use his name only. 21 He is the one you should praise. He is your God. He has done great and amazing things for you. You have seen them with your own eyes.” Deuteronomy 10:17-21 ERV

I guess the next question is this. How big do you need God to be?

“He made heaven and earth. He made the sea and everything in it. He can be trusted to do what he says. 7 He does what is right for those who have been hurt. He gives food to the hungry. The Lord frees people locked up in prison.8 The Lord makes the blind see again.
The Lord helps those who are in trouble. The Lord loves those who do right. 9 The Lord protects strangers in our country. He cares for widows and orphans, but he destroys the wicked. 10 The Lord will rule forever!” Psalm 146:6-10 ERV

What are you facing that is too big or too hard for God to handle?

There is a whole lot of craziness going on in our world but none of it is bigger than our God. All of it combined isn’t bigger than our God!

“God said to Moses: I am the eternal God. So tell them that the Lord, whose name is “I Am,” has sent you. This is my name forever, and it is the name that people must use from now on.” Exodus 3:14-15 CEV

As big and as great as God is He stills gives us an open invitation to come straight to His throne and find help in our time of need!

How big is God? He’s big enough to handle all my worries and concerns. My God, and my Father is big enough to handle it all!

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Why Doesn’t It Stick?

Most of you can tell from reading my blog that I love being in the kitchen and preparing meals for family and friends. However, there is one step in the process that causes me great frustration.

Plastic Wrap!

In all my years I have not found a wrap that will consistently do its job as advertised and cling. It may stick to one surface but not to another. Most of it only sticks to itself and that’s when I am trying to get it off the roll. Then there’s the struggle to get it unstuck, only to find that it won’t stick to the plate, bowl or product I am wanting to wrap it around…

I gave up and have replaced that roll of non-sticking plastic wrap with a cupboard of containers with snap lids and a drawer of zip lock bags, in all sizes, and my old standby, foil.

Can you imagine my surprise this morning when I found an admonition to “cling” in my Bible reading?

“But cling to Adonai your God, as you have done to this day. 9 For Adonai has driven out from before you great and mighty nations. As for you, no one remained standing before you to this day. 10 One of you can put a thousand to flight, for Adonai your God, He Himself is fighting for you, just as He said to you. 11 For your own sake, therefore, be most mindful to love Adonai your God.” Joshua 23:8-11 TLV (Adonai means the Lord)

The word “cling” in this verse is also translated cleave, hold to, continue to follow and be faithful to in other translations. I like the image that “cling to” creates; it’s a sticking too, that won’t let go.

It’s the same word that is used in the Bible’s teaching on marriage.

“This is why a man leaves his father and his mother and clings to his wife; and they become one flesh.” Genesis 2:24 TLV

And also, in its teaching on godly living.

“Let love be without hypocrisy—detesting what is evil, holding fast to the good.” Romans 12:9 TLV

I find it interesting that the same word which describes our devotion and commitment to our spouse is used to describe our relationship with the Father and following His way of life. God knows that for a marriage to be successful there has to be a determination to stick with it, a clinging.

We learn that clinging from Him. He is constantly at our side.

“Be courageous! Do not be afraid or tremble before them. For Adonai your God—He is the One who goes with you. He will not fail you or abandon you.” Deuteronomy 31:6 TLV

This word cling requires introspection.

What are the things I cling to? Do I spend more time stuck to those pursuits than I do to the Lord? Those questions are meant to condemn but they are meant to help in evaluating our priorities.

Next time you open that box of plastic wrap, and it gets all tangled together just stop and say, “Lord, I just want to be all tangled up in You!”

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Pursuit of …

I have a question for you. What are you pursuing or on the reverse side of that question, what’s pursuing you?

The first answer that may come to mind is happiness. However, happiness is always changing. What made me happy at 20 is far from what makes me happy now. Some are in pursuit of a good education. Noble goal – it takes dedication, determination and deliberation.

There are those who pursue love. Admirable. We all have a desire to be loved but even that will fall short of expectation if we aren’t diligent and willing to give our all.

Being pursued isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. I recall a time when I was little and being pursued by the neighbor’s billy goat. I just wanted to pet him, but he had other ideas. When I realized that his pursuit of me was not going to end well, I ran. I ran as fast as my little legs could carry me but it wasn’t fast enough. I was still butted in the bottom.

There is a pursuit that is beneficial and attainable by everyone.

“Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit. 14 Turn away from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it. 15 The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous and his ears toward their cry.” Psalm 34:13-15 ESV

Truth and peace are godly pursuits. Doing good is a goal we should all seek to accomplish.

“ …pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.” II Timothy 2:22 ESV

The Lord has given us all a dream, a passion in life. When we let Him lead, when we follow His direction, our pursuit with end well.

“Roll your works upon the Lord [commit and trust them wholly to Him; He will cause your thoughts to become agreeable to His will, and] so shall your plans be established and succeed.” Proverbs 16:3 AMPC

Trust the Lord with your pursuits!

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David & Goliath Revisited

As I was watching some of last night’s news I was reminded of the miraculous story of David and Goliath.

Goliath was a bully. He cursed God and the army of the Israelites who represented God. To both armies, the Israelites and the Philistines, David was a young, unimpressive, naïve teenager.

But in God’s view David was a giant slayer!

Goliath trusted in his experience in battle, his sword, his spear, his size. David trusted in His relationship with the Lord.

“When Goliath saw that David was just a healthy, good-looking boy, he made fun of him. 43 ‘Do you think I’m a dog?’ Goliath asked. ‘Is that why you’ve come after me with a stick?’ He cursed David in the name of the Philistine gods 44 and shouted, ‘Come on! When I’m finished with you, I’ll feed you to the birds and wild animals!’

“David answered: ‘You’ve come out to fight me with a sword and a spear and a dagger. But I’ve come out to fight you in the name of the Lord All-Powerful. He is the God of Israel’s army, and you have insulted him too! 46 Today the Lord will help me defeat you… 47 Everybody here will see that the Lord doesn’t need swords or spears to save his people. The Lord always wins his battles, and he will help us defeat you.'” I Samuel 17:42-47 CEV

I encourage you to read the whole story in I Samuel 17.

David went to the battlefield to take nourishment to his brothers. At the encampment, he found an army literally shaking in their boots as they were taunted by their enemy. He saw an incompetent king who didn’t know what to do. The king was so desperate that he agreed to let an inexperienced teenager, single-handedly fight the opposing army’s star warrior.

The opposing army was just as afraid to fight and more than willing to let their “hero” represent them in battle. The hero was self-confident; he had never been defeated.

David was a shepherd with no battlefield experience. What he had was a confidence in the God of Israel.

Let me explain…all Israelite male babies were circumcised when they were eight days old. This had been done since the time of Abraham and circumcision was a sign that God would always be the protector and provider for all of Abraham’s descendants. David took this promise of God to heart – he believed that whatever he encountered God was with him and would protect him.

“‘Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God. 37 The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine.’ Saul said to David, ‘Go, and the Lord be with you.’” I Samuel 17:36-37 NIV

David knew Goliath had no covenant promise with God and so Goliath would be no match for the power of God working in his life.

You may be feeling like you are facing a giant, something big, something unnerving. You have the same promise from God that David did. God will never abandon you.

Go out against your giant and let God fight for you!

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Do It For Me

Yesterday all of us were touched by the sights and sounds of the invasion in Ukraine. I went to bed praying for those in the heart of this war.

I saw the images of people sleeping in subways for safety. It reminded me of the pictures I have seen of those who would rush to the air raid shelters in England during WWII. I also heard an interview with a man who heads three orphanages. He expressed his concern for the children’s safety and wondered how many more children would be coming for help.

A pastor I know opened his church for prayer yesterday and this morning I would like to encourage all of us to pray for those who in harm’s way; the people of Ukraine and those in Russia who have no desire to be involved in this war.

“‘When I was hungry, you gave me something to eat, and when I was thirsty, you gave me something to drink. When I was a stranger, you welcomed me, 36 and when I was naked, you gave me clothes to wear. When I was sick, you took care of me, and when I was in jail, you visited me.’

37 Then the ones who pleased the Lord will ask, ‘When did we give you something to eat or drink? 38 When did we welcome you as a stranger or give you clothes to wear 39 or visit you while you were sick or in jail?’

40 The king will answer, ‘Whenever you did it for any of my people, no matter how unimportant they seemed, you did it for me.’” Matthew 25:35-40 CEV

We can be thankful that we were able to sleep safely last night, that we will be able to go about our normal routine today – work, shopping, visiting with friends. But we need to remember those whose lives are anything but normal.

Let’s pray for an end to come quickly. For the Lord’s solution, for safety and protection. When we don’t know what to pray I found the best thing to do is pray God’s word. Join me.

“I love you, Lord God, and you make me strong. 2 You are my mighty rock, my fortress, my protector, the rock where I am safe, my shield, my powerful weapon, and my place of shelter. 3 I praise you, Lord! I prayed, and you rescued me from my enemies…You rescued me from enemies, who were hateful and too powerful for me. 18 On the day disaster struck,
they came and attacked, but you defended me. 19 When I was fenced in, you freed and rescued me because you love me…27You rescue the humble, but you put down all who are proud.” Psalm 18:1-3, 17-19,27 CEV

Father, this is our prayer for those in Ukraine – protect and rescue them, in Jesus’ name.

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Just Before Dawn

You all know that I enjoy being up to the welcome the dawn. It’s a wonderful time of the day!

However, in the “olden days” as I called them as a kid, the hour before dawn’s early light could be the most dangerous time of day. For two warring nations the battle plans were being made, soldiers were maneuvering into position and the fighting would ensue at dawn.

It was the job of the night watchman to keep a sharp eye so that he could detect any movement and alert the commanders. He certainly didn’t want to be caught sleeping on watch. Lives would be lost and nations could crumble if the watchman wasn’t alert.

There was great relief when the sun rose and things could be seen clearly. Then the watchman was relieved from his duties and he could rest. That’s the picture this Psalm is painting.

“Lord, I am in deep trouble, so I am calling to you for help. 2 My Lord, listen to me. Listen to my cry for help. 3 Lord, if you punished people for all their sins, no one would be left alive.
4 But you forgive people, so they fear and respect you. 5 I am waiting for the Lord to help me. My soul waits for him. I trust what he says. 6 I am waiting for my Lord, like a guard waiting and waiting for the morning to come. 7 Israel, trust in the Lord. Lord is the one who is faithful and true. He saves us again and again, 8  and he is the one who will save the people of Israel from all their sins.” Psalm 130 ERV

The writer of the Psalm sees sin as an enemy that will attack and destroy. He is trusting there will be help to defeat the enemy. He’s watching and waiting for the morning when he knows he will see that help has arrived and he is saved, forgiven, of the sin that destroys!

Amen and Amen!

Maybe you feel like you are about to be overrun by the enemies in your life. Does it seem like a long dark night with no help in sight? Keep watching – the day will be dawning and when it does you will see that the Lord is there to save you, again.

“The Lord’s kindness never fails! If he had not been merciful, we would have been destroyed. 23 The Lord can always be trusted to show mercy each morning.” Lamentations 3:22-23 CEV

Put your trust in Him. His mercies are new every morning, great is the faithfulness of our God!

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Learning to Trust

When our youngest daughter was in first grade, we adopted a sweet Australian Shepherd named Bear. He had been badly abused. He had trust issues to say the least.

We were given the name of a good trainer and once a week I took him to class. It didn’t take long for him and me to learn to work together. The commands of sit and stay were some of the first we worked on. He needed to know that when I gave those commands he could TRUST that I wasn’t going to leave him or beat him.

Presently I feel like I’m in a sit stay stage of life. I go through these training times periodically.

I have things to do, places to go, people to meet and minister too and God is saying “Sit Still”. I have learned in the past and am learning again that it’s just as important to be obedient to that command as it is to “love thy neighbor” or “pray without ceasing”.

If you know me at all you know I always have a list – things need to be done! I don’t do SIT – STAY very well. Years ago I read a book by Tim Hansel, “When I Relax I Feel Guilty”, that describes me to a tea. Retirement isn’t easy for a “list person”. I had a very dear friend tell me that it’s just as important to wait as it is to march forward. The key is being obedient to what God is saying and when He’s saying it.

“Be still, and know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world.” 11 The Lord of Heaven’s Armies is here among us; the God of Israel is our fortress.” Psalm 46:10-11 NLT

The children of Israel had a tangible, visible sign that they followed. The Lord placed a cloud over the Tabernacle and when it moved they moved; and when it stayed they stayed.

“Sometimes the cloud was over the Holy Tent for only a few days. So the people obeyed the LORD’s command—they followed the cloud when it moved… 22 If the cloud stayed over the Holy Tent for two days, a month, or a year, the people stayed at that place. They did not leave until the cloud moved…They camped when the LORD told them to, and they moved when he told them to…” Number 9:21-23 ERV

Obedience! That’s the key. We say “Lord, speak to me and I’ll do whatever you tell me to do.” And then He speaks something so simple as to stay – rest and we sit for 15 minutes and then want to get up and get back to our normal routine. It’s hard to rest!

God’s way of doing things is generally contrary to the natural way. He told Joshua to march around a city and they would capture it – Jesus told us to achieve greatness we must strive to be a servant. Paul said when I am weak then am I strong. See – these things seem to be at opposite ends of the spectrum, but that’s God’s way.

“My soul, relax! The LORD is caring for you.” Psalm 116:7 ERV

I’m learning to rest AGAIN. Yes, Lord I will sit and stay, trusting You!


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What Am I Missing?

For years I have had a wonderful fascination with clouds. I’m not sure when it began or why, but I know I have taken hundreds, if not thousands, of photos with nothing but clouds.

When we left the Big Sky Country of Montana and moved back to Arizona eight years ago, I was concerned that I wouldn’t have a view where I could enjoy the clouds. I was pleasantly surprised when I discovered the path of my morning walk took me to wide open space with an unrestricted view of the sky.

Those of you who were following my blog last summer were the beneficiary of my mountain views and the wonderful cloud formations that I enjoyed nearly every day. Last night coming home from a day’s Good Samaritan outing, I was greeted by this sight as we rounded the bend and started to drop down into our little hidden valley.

That cloud spoke volumes to my heart! It was welcoming me home, but it was also a vivid reminder of the Father’s hand of protection.

“21 The Lord went ahead of them. He guided them during the day with a pillar of cloud, and he provided light at night with a pillar of fire. This allowed them to travel by day or by night. 22 And the Lord did not remove the pillar of cloud or pillar of fire from its place in front of the people.” Exodus 13:21-22 NLT

When the Israelites left Egypt, the Bible tells us the Lord guided them with a cloud by day and fire by night. This cloud shaded them from the scorching sun and the fire pillar kept them warm at night. The cloud also rested between them and their pursuers when they crossed the Red Sea.

Protection and direction.

My thoughts center on that when I see a cloud of this magnitude. I’m captured by the greatness of our God who promises to be our shield and our defense. I don’t like cloudless skies.

The Bible tells us about another cloud – a cloud we should all be looking for.

“16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the believers who have died will rise from their graves. 17 Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever. 18 So encourage each other with these words.” I Thessalonians 4:16-18 NLT

When the Lord returns to gather the believers and take them to heaven, He will come in the clouds! Dave used to tease me and tell me that I would probably be photographing clouds on the day of the Lord’s return. I really can’t imagine anything more wonderful!

As I stare at those cloud filled skies my heart is at peace, I am comforted by a sense of my Father’s presence. Where are you leading me today? I don’t want to miss out on anything you have planned for me.

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