ANNIE MELINDA LANE

Today August 25th 1994 , 16 years ago
I was in my bed at The Anglis hospital holding Our Annie Melinda Lane who was only one hour into her journey through life.
I spent the day prior to this day cleaning my home, playing games with Steph whom was only 3 years old and Liam who was only 14 months old , taking my then 6 year Old Robert to school and home again. I was a busy mum to say the least. Well by 4 pm this day my home was spotless, my children had had all their needs attended to and dinner was cooked for my In Laws who were coming for dinner, we enjoyed a wonderful dinner together and home they went, only to return at midnight because Annie was on her way.........
How precious are the memories when I look back and recount every detail leading up to and the birth of my precious girl. That first look into her eyes I never forget, those precious Sapphire blue eyes flickering open and shut in an attempt to adjust to her new surroundings. Her tiny fingers reaching out for me. The very best of all was the overwhelming sense of joy as she crept and wriggled on top of my belly looking for my breast to suckle on and truly bond with me and know that without a doubt that I would love, care for and nurture her for all her days to come.
To have the privilege of watching Annie grow and mature over this past 16 years , to witness first hand her love for God, her love for her family and friends, her magnificent voice when she sings. The compassion that is stirred within her and her ability to take action when she sees a need. Her strong sense of justice for others are all part of her God given character that was placed in her tiny heart when God first formed her withing my womb. Jeremiah 1:5 "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations."
Even when Annie was two and they thought she had Cystic fibrosis , God you were there loving her , guiding the surgeons hand and taking care of our worried broken hearts
How blessed Mike and I are as her parents to have had God along side with us every step of the way as Annie journeyed through life . I have read my fair share of parenting books but none come close tho the wisdom and insight that only the Holy spirit can give to you when it comes to raising our children .
Thank You God for the truth and wisdom in your Word , Thank you for trusting us with such a precious gift as Annie to raise in your ways .Proverbs 22 :6 Train up a child in the way he should go ; and when he is old he will never depart from it.
Annie the kingdom of Heaven is yours keep learning, keep loving, and keep looking forward. Mathew 19 :14 Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."

NOT SO EASY BUT WELL WORTH IT

Loving your life can be much easier if you just follow a few basics that God  outlines for us in Proverbs 3 some will come easily and some may need a little work or perhaps change of attitude. But this I know,  you will be richly blessed  and love your life if you walk in his ways.

1,  Remember the word and keep it in your heart.

2. Be filled with love and faith, write it on your heart, then God and people you meet will know     you love God

3. Trust God not yourself

4. Talk with God always and ask him what to do.

5.  Your wisdom comes from God alone

6.  Give God the best of your wealth

7.   Be teachable and open to Gods rebuke

8.  Be discerning

9 .  Don't be fearful , the Lord is your confidence

10. Be giving today ; don't wait till tomorrow

11. Don't gossip

12. Don't be violent, bad temped or angry

13. Don't mock people or think you are better than others

14. Be humble in all that you do

15. Be graceful and show mercy and compassion to the people around you

PLACE THEIR HAND INTO THE PALM OF JESUS

How many of you remember being like me back in your younger days ? Sometimes I would watch girly movies about the transformation of the Ugly duckling into the beautiful swan and it would inspire the rescuer in me to want to do that to some of my peers . You know the young awkward girl with the glasses, daggy clothes, low self esteem, everyone picks on her, the boys laugh at her.... Or perhaps it was the girl from the broken home whose dad beats her up, she gives herself to every boy who wants a go, she smokes, she drinks, she is always in trouble with school or the law, her friends are in short supply ...... Even in my young age with plenty of troubles and brokenness myself I would get along side these girls and befriend them and try my best to rescue them and fix them, I would have them over and do make overs , I would go shop lifting with them to help them find a better wardrobe, I would go and stay over in their homes and meet their awful parents and talk with them for hours attempting to help them. But the reality was that to some degree I was just as broken myself, same same but different. I was in no position to help them although I had very good intentions I lacked the very core thing that they were lacking and that was God and his awesome gift of salvation. My Children are very much like me today, they all have the desire to seek out the broken and lonely and help to fix them. At dinner last night we were all talking about this very situation and their desire to rescue some of there peers. I shared with them my revelation I received when I was saved that it will not be by their strength that the rescue will be possible or sustaining it can only be by God. Zechariah 4:6 Not by might, Not by power, but by my spirit said the Lord.
We may think we can save these people but it is only God, It is our job to direct people to Jesus and only through their salvation and his love, grace, tenderness and mercy for them will they be free of the hold Satan has over them. It is a spiritual battle that needs to be won for them not a natural physical battle. Ephesians 6 :10 -12 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms
The life blood and freedom they will receive from Jesus will sustain them for their lives but your friendship may be fickle at times, you may get in a fight and have a falling out, they may move away.... so many factors that can change but Jesus is the only true Rock that will stand with them today and forever more, never wavering, never changing, always holding out his hand of redemption no matter how low they go. Revelation 22;13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.
Keep seeking out these lost souls ,keep loving them , keep praying for them, keep being their friend but Most important of all is ; Keep taking them back to the cross for that is the only place that they can be made whole again.
He is fully God. Isaiah 43:10,11 states that besides the Lord GOD there is no Saviour. Jesus, however, is called "the mighty God" (Is. 9:6) and "our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ" (Titus 2.13). It takes God to save sinners.

WHAT IS THAT WOMAN DOING RESTING!!!!

What do we do when we are told by God to stay, abide and rest. 

Now, why don't you stay here tonight, as the others did, and I'll find out what else the LORD may have to tell me." Numbers 22 :19

For those of you who know me you will know that REST is not one of my favourite words, however I am quickly discovering the power of resting.

God can do amazing things when we  Rest. Stop! Abide ! Remain ! Obey !.  There comes an incredible refreshing and understanding, a renewing of your mind when we can no longer run about and fill our brain with OUR to do list, OUR unfounded worries, OUR plan for our lives, OUR plan for our kids lives, or OUR plan for God in our life.

Sometimes , like I believe in my case, God will force our hand and make us stop so he doesn't have to shout in order for us to hear him. Now I am not saying that God brings sickness, but he certainly does use it to his advantage if need be to slow us down and abide in him.

God uses this time to whisper tender words into your heart, to show you things in his word that you have quickly skimmed over in the past while simultaneously  listening to your 6 year old read her school reader, making, 6 school lunches, spooning breakfast into the mouth of the uncooperative 2 year old , signing permission excursion forms, and sending a text message to confirm your two pm appointment.  How can we possibly hear clearly what God has to say in this environment.

I urge you don't keep running and giving God your left overs like I did, stop and drink from all that God has for you and just see how you whole perspective changes and how you crave his daily input in your life.

God cant fully use a burnt out , stressed out Mum. but he can use a holy spirit led warrior woman of God willing and able to hear what he wants us to do and then follow through and do it, bearing fruit in all that we do.

John 15 :4-8

Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.“I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

OUR SECURITY BLANKET

How many of us remember our favourite snuggle thing when we were little, you know, that blanket that you carried until the final shred was too small to recognise what it started its life out as, or the teddy that now has been reduced to just a ear.
My little Meg has a patchwork blanket that I made for her when she was born and she still sleeps with the last remaining shred, when we traveled with her as a baby all we had to do was put this rug on the floor of an airport and lay her on it and she would drift off to sleep, it quickly became a prized item that would have had devastating results if it was ever lost, it actually held more value in our last minute bag checks than the passports.
I was thinking last night about how often do we hang on to something in our lives just like the blanket, we clutch it close to our heart at night when we go to bed, we hold it firmly in our hands when we are feeling sorry for ourselves. We keep it as a trophy, a reminder of our past, our hurts, our failures . We hang on to our treasure for dear life in fear of letting go.
We often use it as an excuse to not move forward or to break free of the things that bind us and keep us from the journey God intends for us.
In my case here I am in bed post operation and post severe anxiety that I have lived with for 3 years. I have many symptoms that have not returned since my operation and I am beginning to feel better physically and healing physically. But what about mentally, there is a choice there, I could chose to remain in the place I have been for 3 years, constantly behind the 8 ball with panic attacks, heart palpitations, exhaustion, psoriasis , or I can allow God the best surgeon of them all to heal me inside as well and mould me into the thriving warrior woman completely aligned to him and his purposes.
How easy would it be for me to hang onto my last shred of my blanket that has served me well, kept me protected, given me an excuse to not fully participate, allowed me to use it a crutch at times.
Is it scary to let go and move forward , yes most certainly, but will you experience freedom beyond your wildest dreams when you do let go. yes most certainly.
I know most of us, especially we over thinking women have shreds of security blanket that we are still holding onto, but it is time to let go of this false security and hang onto the only thing that will last GOD.
Ephesians 1:18 I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance.
There is a new treasure out there to be had. Our Lord is faithful. we can become consistant and free. He loves because he is love. He sees the treasure in me because he put it there. Jesus is in me and I am in him.
We are known in Heaven, Our identity as God sees it, gives us an authority over any opposition. We need to rise up from our infirmities and no longer allow ourselves to be shaped by our past.
Acts 26:18 to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me.'
Life in the spirit is simply just letting go of a life that no longer works.

LET GOD WALK BEFORE YOU

Why is it that when we face a "crisis " in our lives that we allow our brain to kick in and fill us with fear way before we allow the holy spirit to kick in and fill us with his promises?
The bible says that we are to be transformed by the renewing of our mind, ( Romans 12:2 )
Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
I know this truth -first hand, believe me that this is a daily renewing and often many times over in the day for me. My mind will often go to places that are not uplifting and life giving.
from a personal perspective I have to have an operation today and for the first month of knowing this my brain has slipped into the most negative thoughts with me allowing only a sprinkling of hope to sneak in . I have gone to sleep at night dreaming of the most ridiculous scenarios. perhaps I will die!! perhaps i will never talk again (God forbid, those who know me would know that this would not be possible , i always have far too much to say )
Our only hope in these times of difficulty is to stand on Gods word and rest in his arms through prayer. I cannot do it alone I can only do it with God walking along with me , guiding me, loving me and showing me his plan for my me.

I am standing firm on these scriptures today while I face this operation.
I was feeling alone and really wanted my mum to go with me and then I read this, I have my heavenly father with me, and he doesn't have to sit in the waiting room with My husband , he can sit right there on the table with me for the whole surgery
Deuteronomy 31:6 "Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or tremble at them, for the LORD your God is the one who goes with you. He will not fail you or forsake you."
I was worried that things might go wrong , but I Know this :
Jeremiah 29:11For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future
I was worried I would lose my voice all together and God showed me this
Isaiah 40 :9 Get yourself up on a high mountain, O Zion, bearer of good news, Lift up your voice mightily, O Jerusalem, bearer of good news; Lift it up, do not fear. Say to the cities of Judah, "Here is your God!"

Matthew Henry said :" We often do not know our own minds, but the Lord is never at an uncertainty. We are sometimes ready to fear that God's designs are all against us; but as to his own people, even that which seems evil, is for good. He will give them, not the expectations of their fears, or the expectations of their fancies, but the expectations of their faith; the end he has promised, which will be the best for them. When the Lord pours out an especial spirit of prayer, it is a good sign that he is coming toward us in mercy. Promises are given to quicken and encourage prayer. He never said, Seek ye me in vain."

Is there something in your world that you are facing and need the strength and courage that only the Holy spirit can give? Then search your heart and the word for scriptures that will encourage you, guide you and give you Hope for the future.

LETS NOT MISS THE SMALL THINGS

My beautiful dog Ruby clearly just lays about with not a care in the world , her future involves food, water, wood fires , walks and cuddles. Simple!!
How much time to we waste in our minds on trying to map out our own future and the outcomes of events ahead of us?
We so often get caught up in "trying to figure it out " When what we should be doing is taking our concerns to God in prayer and trusting that he has the best outcome for us.
We end up focusing too much of our time attempting to make a plan when in fact the plan has already been made for us.
It is such a simple message for us. lets not miss the small things !!!

For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11.
We often do not know our own minds, but the Lord is never at an uncertainty. He will give us, not the expectations of our fears, or the expectations of our fancies, but the expectations of our faith; the end he has promised, which will be the best for us .

Psalm 40:5 Many, O LORD my God, are the wonders which You have done, And Your thoughts toward us; There is none to compare with You. If I would declare and speak of them, They would be too numerous to count.

Ask God today what his plan for us is and lets be prompted by the holy spirit not our own wayward thoughts