Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:
Wow! The past weeks have been a time for growing for me. God becomes more and more real in my life as each day passes. Every day I wake up just to surrender everything all over again, giving Him every area of my life... every nook and cranny. He has become my father, my mother, my sister, my brother, my husband, my soul mate, my very best friend. If I should lose everything else in this world and still hold on to Him, I would remain satisfied for eternity.
I am discovering that complete surrender, no matter how we hate the sound of it, is exactly what it takes to bring the joy of the Lord into your life. I had to reach the point that nothing else in this world was more important than my relationship with Christ and with the Father. At it was at that instance when He took control and filled me with His peace and knowledge that He is in control. It is not good enough to give something to God one day and then slowly take it back because we feel like He is not taking care of things the way, or as quickly as, we think He should. Giving must be a continual thing... for you and I are creatures of habit. If we don't do things consistently, we tend to forget their importance and need in our lives. Remember that God will only do what we allow Him to do. He will not force His children to surrender. It must be our choice.
I often wish that I had not waited so long to surrender to Him. But He quietly reminds me that I am there now... the past is in the past, and the future is in His hands. When worry tries to creep into my mind, God says "trust in Me." Now when I look back toward my past I can see His hand on me in various stages of my life... stages where I was running from Him as well as times when I chose to listen. He is the one consistent thing in my life. He has pursued me since I was a child. He knew my heart and knew that I was one who was "chosen" by His own hand to follow Him and surrender my life into His care. When I realize that I am one of the chosen, the gratitude and love for my Lord rises up so strong within me that I weep and humble myself before my God. Am I worthy? No! In my human form I am nothing but filthy rags, but because I am covered by the blood of Jesus, in my Father's eyes I am His beloved. He no longer sees my sin, but He looks within my heart and knows how much I love Him and desire to serve Him... above all else.
Right now I have been blessed to be put in charge of putting together a women's retreat here at Hope Crisis Center. For those of you who do not know, the center is a former nursing home, 17,000 square foot. Several rooms have been "adopted" by local and area churches, schools, clubs and individuals who painted, furnished and decorated each room, give it a special personality of its own. The center has a chapel, a large family room, an exercise room, and so much more. Everything has been provided by donations at the leading of the Holy Spirit. If you could see the center, you would know how well God takes care of those who obey Him and live according to His purpose. Did it get that way over night? No! For a couple of years the director/founder and her husband lived in the center, having no gas (hot water/heat), and waiting (with faith) for the Father to bring about the purpose for the center. After a season of growth in their faith, God rewarded them by what you see when you walk into the center.
Some people would think such things as "how can you live in a place where old people lived and died?" But the only spirit you will ever experience within these walls is the Holy Spirit. If you are ever in Blackwell, Oklahoma, just stop and ask for directions to Hope Crisis Center. You will be welcomed with loving arms. Now... back to what I was beginning to say about the women's retreat...
The Holy Spirit is leading us to minister to so many hurting people. In late September we will be having a Women's Transforming Retreat where we will minister to Christian women who desire a closer walk with Christ. They will be pampered with massages and foot-washing ceremonies... and so much more. We will be having guest speakers, guest worship leaders, spiritual and emotional healing and wonderful fellowship. This time will be anointed by the Lord, and will follow many weeks of prayer and fasting. The women have got to be strong in the end times. Sometimes we are the only ones praying for our children, grandchildren, siblings and loved ones. Sometimes we may be the match that lights the fire under the men in our lives. Being a woman is not an easy job... being a woman of God is a position of responsibility. And we cannot allow ourselves to be overwhelmed. Sometimes we must "rest in the Lord." And this revitalizing retreat will be a time to learn to do that. Please, be in prayer for Christian women across the nation.
May the God who blessed Abraham touch your life and pour His blessings out on you. May you reach out to Him with everything within you and learn to surrender it all. Then you will understand what it means to rest in Him.
Until we meet again,
Judy Lambert
On the Road for Christ
Friday, July 16, 2010
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Time for resting; time for waiting
Hello again. I know it's been a while since I've blogged, but it is because God just wasn't going fast enough for me!
I'm finding out about His timing, and surprisingly enough, He is giving me the ability and patience (thus far) to endure the waiting period.
Here I thought that as soon as I received "my orders," I would be out to pursue completion of them. "Yes, God. Ten-Four. I'll get right on that, Sir." So I got everything in storage and was out on the road to fulfill my mission (what little I knew about it anyway). No more than I got on the Interstate, my car decided to let me know it wasn't really up for this. Now, it had been a good car for several years, having purchased it from my sister and brother-in-law for $100 after it sat outside through a hail storm. Nope, she may not have been the prettiest thing you ever laid your eyes on, but she was good to me and took me across a lot of miles.
After stopping for a few days in Ponca City, OK at my sister's, I went on to Wichita, KS to visit another sister... and that is where my car decided it would stay. After taking it to the "doctor" and finding out that it would take about $1,300 to fix her, I decided to give her to a family who was out of work and needed a form of transportation.
"What?" "Give a broken down vehicle to a family who couldn't afford to fix it?"
Now hold on a minute there. I forgot to tell you the dad is an out-of-work auto mechanic. He could do with that car what I neither had the resources or know-how to complete.
So, I began to fret about how I was going to complete my "traveling mission" God was sending me on. Then my friend from Blackwell, who runs Hope Crisis Call Center (a Christian non-profit organization) called me and said she could sure use some help for a while. I told her about my car, and she told me that Jesus didn't take me out in the middle of a lake to leave me there. He promised to take me to the other side. I needed to trust in Him to provide transportation for me, in order that I might complete what He has for me to do.
So, now I am in the "waiting and resting" process. But I am learning that this is all part of what God has for me. I must learn patience and trust His timing. Each day I wake and thank Him for shelter (living at the center) and food, and most of all for surrounding me with loving Christ-like people, prayer, and worship.
God is using me right here in my own hometown, the one place where I was determined to not move back to after the death of my parents. It is strange what God will take us through on our journey to be nearer to Him.
Be blessed and remember to always be prepared to "wait."
Judy Lambert
On The Road for Christ.
I'm finding out about His timing, and surprisingly enough, He is giving me the ability and patience (thus far) to endure the waiting period.
Here I thought that as soon as I received "my orders," I would be out to pursue completion of them. "Yes, God. Ten-Four. I'll get right on that, Sir." So I got everything in storage and was out on the road to fulfill my mission (what little I knew about it anyway). No more than I got on the Interstate, my car decided to let me know it wasn't really up for this. Now, it had been a good car for several years, having purchased it from my sister and brother-in-law for $100 after it sat outside through a hail storm. Nope, she may not have been the prettiest thing you ever laid your eyes on, but she was good to me and took me across a lot of miles.
After stopping for a few days in Ponca City, OK at my sister's, I went on to Wichita, KS to visit another sister... and that is where my car decided it would stay. After taking it to the "doctor" and finding out that it would take about $1,300 to fix her, I decided to give her to a family who was out of work and needed a form of transportation.
"What?" "Give a broken down vehicle to a family who couldn't afford to fix it?"
Now hold on a minute there. I forgot to tell you the dad is an out-of-work auto mechanic. He could do with that car what I neither had the resources or know-how to complete.
So, I began to fret about how I was going to complete my "traveling mission" God was sending me on. Then my friend from Blackwell, who runs Hope Crisis Call Center (a Christian non-profit organization) called me and said she could sure use some help for a while. I told her about my car, and she told me that Jesus didn't take me out in the middle of a lake to leave me there. He promised to take me to the other side. I needed to trust in Him to provide transportation for me, in order that I might complete what He has for me to do.
So, now I am in the "waiting and resting" process. But I am learning that this is all part of what God has for me. I must learn patience and trust His timing. Each day I wake and thank Him for shelter (living at the center) and food, and most of all for surrounding me with loving Christ-like people, prayer, and worship.
God is using me right here in my own hometown, the one place where I was determined to not move back to after the death of my parents. It is strange what God will take us through on our journey to be nearer to Him.
Be blessed and remember to always be prepared to "wait."
Judy Lambert
On The Road for Christ.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Preparing Me
Hello, Christian Brothers and Sisters.
Yesterday I woke a little after 5 a.m. and started going through my closet to pack up things. Man! It's unbelievable how much "stuff" can be stored in one closet (not a walk-in). I have boxes of memories - things my children and grandchildren have given me over the years, including school work from kindergarten. I'm not a hoarder, but there are some sentimental things I just can't put in the trash.
I went through each box, throwing away things that should have been trashed a long time ago, to make the moving a little lighter. In the process I found memories I had put to the back of my mind, as well as photographs of many generations of my family.
Changing the subject (for a reason) I want to tell you about my becoming a Christian. It wasn't until the early part of this century (just a few years ago) that I realized I didn't know when I was actually saved (accepted Christ as my personal savior). That bothered me quite a bit. One day while I was deep in my Bible study, God placed a memory (picture) in my head. I was a little girl standing beside my Sunday school teacher (Lilly Garroutte). She had her Bible open and was telling me about the plan of salvation... and I accepted Jesus into my heart.
Once I realized that God had just revealed to me the moment I got saved, I was astounded. The thought wasn't even on my mind in the moment he put that picture in my head. I figured I was probably around 9, because any younger than that and I assumed a child wouldn't know the meaning of salvation.
Now, back to my closet "stuff." Among the papers I discovered in one of my boxes was my Certificate of Baptism, dated September of 1964... I was 7. And I know, without even the slightest doubt, that at that moment Jesus came into my life and saved me.
Today I am 54, and it has taken me that many years to trust the "Father" enough to give Him every corner of my life. I knew in an instant that my life had changed.
You see, I believe what the Bible says. I believe that in 1964 I accepted Christ and was bound to spend eternity in Heaven. At that same moment, I received the Holy Spirit - ALL of Him. That is why I lived a miserable life when I was not living it for Him. I now understand that because I was covered in the pure and precious blood of Jesus, all of these years the Father has pursued me. The Holy Spirit convicted me. And the Blood still covered me. But the part that so many of us who are not discipled and taught once we receive Christ, and don't understand is that Salvation is only the beginning of a happy life here in this earth. It isn't until you WILLINGLY surrender every nook and cranny of your life (die to self) that God is able to "use" you. Being "used" by God should not make a person feel less than a child of God. It isn't a negative action, but an everyday decision that will ultimately introduce you to the true "Joy of the Lord" which presents itself as PEACE.
This peace cannot be experienced until we are so drawn to the Lord that we live and breathe Him. And yes, it is possible. This doesn't mean you have to store away all of your possessions, get in your car and be "on the road for Christ" as God is leading me to do. Each relationship with Christ is a personal relationship - between Jesus and the person receiving salvation. What He is calling YOU to do for Him may be right in front of your face. All it takes is realizing that what you have on this earth is so trivial compared to what God has for you, both now and in eternity. This includes not only your possessions on earth, but your relationships between family and friends as well. You must be willing to trust God enough to give it all to Him.
Right now, for me, it is a time of preparation. I am spending time in the Word and learning to focus on prayer and listen for God's still small voice, even in the midst of all the noise of the world around me. He is preparing me for the wonders He has planned, the journey He has chosen for me, the "ministry" He has called me to. I'm still trying to figure it all out, but know that with God it must be a daily submission for me... a daily walk... being ready to listen, ready to hear and ready to go.
I need your prayers beginning now. Ask God to watch over me, that I allow the Spirit to control my words and my deeds. I am highly opinionated and seem to think I know just what someone needs to hear, which makes me tend to step ahead of God instead of waiting for His voice. I ask you to bring that before the Lord when you lift me up in prayer.
God has made a lot of changes in me. He has had plenty of years in which He allowed me to take the paths I wanted... and learn the lessons from my mistakes. And He still has many changes to make in me.
Heavenly Father, please use me in Your work from this day forward. Let me be compassionate toward those You put in my path, giving me understanding of their individual needs and Your desires for them. Break my heart so that I might desire to reach those who don't know you personally. Give me wisdom when I speak to Your children - those who have become comfortable in this world and have no compassion for the lost. Father, may the Holy Spirit go before me to prepare the hearts of those You desire to reach. You know the hearts of every man, woman and child. Give me the gift of discernment so that I may know when someone's heart is seeking You. Father, make me humble and filled with humility, always giving you the glory, honor and praise in every situation.
I love you all and would be happy to lift you up in prayer any time you ask. Prayer is a powerful tool of the Lord, and makes a huge difference in the lives of Christians and even in the lives of those who aren't living for God. So praying for others is vital.
You can email me your prayer requests at jlambert1956@gmail.com, or you can enter them in a comment on this blog site. The choice is yours. I promise I will lift you up to the Father in prayer.
Bye for now, and I will keep in touch to let you know How God is working.
In His love.
Yesterday I woke a little after 5 a.m. and started going through my closet to pack up things. Man! It's unbelievable how much "stuff" can be stored in one closet (not a walk-in). I have boxes of memories - things my children and grandchildren have given me over the years, including school work from kindergarten. I'm not a hoarder, but there are some sentimental things I just can't put in the trash.
I went through each box, throwing away things that should have been trashed a long time ago, to make the moving a little lighter. In the process I found memories I had put to the back of my mind, as well as photographs of many generations of my family.
Changing the subject (for a reason) I want to tell you about my becoming a Christian. It wasn't until the early part of this century (just a few years ago) that I realized I didn't know when I was actually saved (accepted Christ as my personal savior). That bothered me quite a bit. One day while I was deep in my Bible study, God placed a memory (picture) in my head. I was a little girl standing beside my Sunday school teacher (Lilly Garroutte). She had her Bible open and was telling me about the plan of salvation... and I accepted Jesus into my heart.
Once I realized that God had just revealed to me the moment I got saved, I was astounded. The thought wasn't even on my mind in the moment he put that picture in my head. I figured I was probably around 9, because any younger than that and I assumed a child wouldn't know the meaning of salvation.
Now, back to my closet "stuff." Among the papers I discovered in one of my boxes was my Certificate of Baptism, dated September of 1964... I was 7. And I know, without even the slightest doubt, that at that moment Jesus came into my life and saved me.
Today I am 54, and it has taken me that many years to trust the "Father" enough to give Him every corner of my life. I knew in an instant that my life had changed.
You see, I believe what the Bible says. I believe that in 1964 I accepted Christ and was bound to spend eternity in Heaven. At that same moment, I received the Holy Spirit - ALL of Him. That is why I lived a miserable life when I was not living it for Him. I now understand that because I was covered in the pure and precious blood of Jesus, all of these years the Father has pursued me. The Holy Spirit convicted me. And the Blood still covered me. But the part that so many of us who are not discipled and taught once we receive Christ, and don't understand is that Salvation is only the beginning of a happy life here in this earth. It isn't until you WILLINGLY surrender every nook and cranny of your life (die to self) that God is able to "use" you. Being "used" by God should not make a person feel less than a child of God. It isn't a negative action, but an everyday decision that will ultimately introduce you to the true "Joy of the Lord" which presents itself as PEACE.
This peace cannot be experienced until we are so drawn to the Lord that we live and breathe Him. And yes, it is possible. This doesn't mean you have to store away all of your possessions, get in your car and be "on the road for Christ" as God is leading me to do. Each relationship with Christ is a personal relationship - between Jesus and the person receiving salvation. What He is calling YOU to do for Him may be right in front of your face. All it takes is realizing that what you have on this earth is so trivial compared to what God has for you, both now and in eternity. This includes not only your possessions on earth, but your relationships between family and friends as well. You must be willing to trust God enough to give it all to Him.
Right now, for me, it is a time of preparation. I am spending time in the Word and learning to focus on prayer and listen for God's still small voice, even in the midst of all the noise of the world around me. He is preparing me for the wonders He has planned, the journey He has chosen for me, the "ministry" He has called me to. I'm still trying to figure it all out, but know that with God it must be a daily submission for me... a daily walk... being ready to listen, ready to hear and ready to go.
I need your prayers beginning now. Ask God to watch over me, that I allow the Spirit to control my words and my deeds. I am highly opinionated and seem to think I know just what someone needs to hear, which makes me tend to step ahead of God instead of waiting for His voice. I ask you to bring that before the Lord when you lift me up in prayer.
God has made a lot of changes in me. He has had plenty of years in which He allowed me to take the paths I wanted... and learn the lessons from my mistakes. And He still has many changes to make in me.
Heavenly Father, please use me in Your work from this day forward. Let me be compassionate toward those You put in my path, giving me understanding of their individual needs and Your desires for them. Break my heart so that I might desire to reach those who don't know you personally. Give me wisdom when I speak to Your children - those who have become comfortable in this world and have no compassion for the lost. Father, may the Holy Spirit go before me to prepare the hearts of those You desire to reach. You know the hearts of every man, woman and child. Give me the gift of discernment so that I may know when someone's heart is seeking You. Father, make me humble and filled with humility, always giving you the glory, honor and praise in every situation.
I love you all and would be happy to lift you up in prayer any time you ask. Prayer is a powerful tool of the Lord, and makes a huge difference in the lives of Christians and even in the lives of those who aren't living for God. So praying for others is vital.
You can email me your prayer requests at jlambert1956@gmail.com, or you can enter them in a comment on this blog site. The choice is yours. I promise I will lift you up to the Father in prayer.
Bye for now, and I will keep in touch to let you know How God is working.
In His love.
Saturday, May 15, 2010
On The Road For Christ
Hello Christian friends and family. I am being prepared for a journey with God around the country. So many doors have been opened, so many walls and mountains and chains removed by the hand of God... this is the most excited I have ever been - knowing that God is guiding me and putting so many wonderful faith-filled Christians in my path over the past year or so. I had no idea that God could or would ever really use ME to do His work. I never completely understood that He actually put me here on this earth for a purpose.
Over the years He has protected me through the prayers of my mother, knowing my true heart's desire, and seeing that my heart was never happy when I was not vocused on Him.
I know only a little bit about what His plans are for me, so I'm kind of stepping out on faith because I know this is what He wants me to do.
I'm going to have 90% of my possessisons in storage by the end of this week, putting only the bare essentials that I will need to survive. I'll be moving my "address" to my sister's home in Ponca City then diving into prayer and preparation for this journey.
I'm a person who has never liked to just head out somewhere without knowing where I'm going or what I'll be doing. I can't believe the peace God has given me about so many issues that just months ago would have put me into depression. I am learning that there is nothing more satisfying than giving your entire life and destiny to the Lord.
I will be on here often to keep you abreast of my journey, where I'm headed, what is going on in this "ministry" God has planned for me, and will list my prayer requests for people I meet along the way or whatever God places upon my heart.
I desire your prayers for me along the way. Iknow when a child of God is following the Father closely, Satan will double up on his "watch" trying to stop me from living for God. Pray for His will to be done, for the Holy Spirit to go before me to prepare the hearts of those who need to listen to His Word. Pray for the Church who have taken their eyes off God and have become comfortable and satisfied with life here on earth.
If you want to ask for prayer, I would be happy to pray for you or with you, believing that the Lord will answer. Miracles can and will happen when prayers are covered by the blood of Jesus.
Over the years He has protected me through the prayers of my mother, knowing my true heart's desire, and seeing that my heart was never happy when I was not vocused on Him.
I know only a little bit about what His plans are for me, so I'm kind of stepping out on faith because I know this is what He wants me to do.
I'm going to have 90% of my possessisons in storage by the end of this week, putting only the bare essentials that I will need to survive. I'll be moving my "address" to my sister's home in Ponca City then diving into prayer and preparation for this journey.
I'm a person who has never liked to just head out somewhere without knowing where I'm going or what I'll be doing. I can't believe the peace God has given me about so many issues that just months ago would have put me into depression. I am learning that there is nothing more satisfying than giving your entire life and destiny to the Lord.
I will be on here often to keep you abreast of my journey, where I'm headed, what is going on in this "ministry" God has planned for me, and will list my prayer requests for people I meet along the way or whatever God places upon my heart.
I desire your prayers for me along the way. Iknow when a child of God is following the Father closely, Satan will double up on his "watch" trying to stop me from living for God. Pray for His will to be done, for the Holy Spirit to go before me to prepare the hearts of those who need to listen to His Word. Pray for the Church who have taken their eyes off God and have become comfortable and satisfied with life here on earth.
If you want to ask for prayer, I would be happy to pray for you or with you, believing that the Lord will answer. Miracles can and will happen when prayers are covered by the blood of Jesus.
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