Delight Yourself In Him

This past week I've sat and pondered some things. I realized that we...well, at least I do...spend so much time trying to figure things out, wondering why things happen as they do, always needing answers, instead of just TRUSTING GOD, and KNOWING that He is always in control and knows what He is doing. God has a reason for everything that happens in our lives and most of it is all done for HIS PURPOSE....HIS CAUSE.

God let me know the other day that I need to quit asking Him to change my circumstances because He allows those circumstances to change ME. This is so evident when we read about the life of Joseph. No, everything Joseph went through was not all good, BUT each circumstance served its purpose and God still was able to work all things for good that happened. And not only that but we see that Joseph DID receive his dream which was the plan and purpose of God for his life. Joseph DID reach his destiny in God. And that is what we need to be more focused on, NOT what WE want for our lives, but what HE wants.

The Bible says that if we DELIGHT ourselves in Him, He shall give us the desires of our heart. When God becomes most important in our life, then our desires become one with Him. We can't help but want for our lives exactly what He wants. They become one and the same. This is when peace and harmony is evident in our lives instead of turmoil and chaos.

We can get so caught up in our own hurts and pains and cares of this life, that His Word gets choked in our lives and the devil steals it away. We begin speaking negative things and actually bring so many curses upon our own self. We forget all the blessings and promises that are ours. We need to bring God into our pain and TALK TO HIM about it and what our needs are instead of complaining. And then begin to PRAISE HIM for His ability to intervene for us, and TRUST HIM to turn things around for our good.

So many times, we run to friends, family, food, or whatever the case may be for you, to try and make us "feel" better about our circumstances instead of going directly to GOD. And our circumstances get worse instead of better until we can't take anymore and THEN our last resort ends up being GOD...and HE STILL IS THERE FOR US. He is so faithful to us even in times when we are not. His LOVE is so awesome. He IS so merciful.

No matter what your circumstance is, KNOW that the Lord is in control and TRUST Him to work it all out for the good. It is so much easier to deal with situations when we acknowledge Him in it, knowing He'll have a lot to do with the outcome.

TRUST in the LORD with ALL YOUR HEART, and lean not unto thine own understanding. In ALL THY WAYS ACKNOWLEDGE HIM and He SHALL DIRECT THY PATHS. Proverbs 3:5,6)

Connie J. Schmoll

The Footstool

Do you let circumstances in life or people around you always discourage you about your dreams? Do you allow "enemies to reside inside" such as anger, unforgiveness, hate, etc to disrupt the plans God has for you? Don't let these "enemies" dictate your destiny. Look to the Creator and find your true self. Re-discover your potential and purpose in life and just allow those “naysayers” to actually create the momentum needed to lift you off toward your dreams and goals. Jesus said he’ll make our enemies our footstool. What does a footstool do? It lifts us to higher heights, helping us to reach what we couldn’t reach before!!

Consider the enemies of Jesus Christ; they spent much effort in convincing and conspiring for three years until He was finally brought before Pilate. Because of His enemies' efforts He was severely beaten... thus enabling Him to fulfill Isaiah 53:5 "But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed."

His enemies became His enablers.

Because of His enemies efforts, He was crucified...thus enabling Him to set all of humanity free from sin and death.

His enemies became His enablers.

Without these enemies, He could not have fulfilled His destiny which was cloaked in "the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory: Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would NOT have crucified the Lord of glory." (1 Cor. 2:7-8)

It is upon the 'footstool' of our enemies that we are enabled to reach the 'high calling' of our destiny in Christ. Yes, the enemies are very real and would seek to destroy us if possible, and many times even remain our enemies as we tread upon them as a footstool... yet they are our enablers....IF we allow them to be.

"The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool."  
Psalm 110:1

Connie J. Schmoll

Trust Me!

When I heard the outcome of my dad’s court hearing that day, I was not very happy. I cried and was angry and actually pretty disappointed even with God, because we had a lot of people praying for Dad. He did not deserve all that was happening to him.

To be honest though, a while back I would have had a different attitude about it all. I would have just thought, "Well, Dad left mom and hurt her and he married this other woman so now he has to live with the consequences of his decisions that he made in life". BUT you see, now I see it completely different because Dad made things right with Mom before she died. So that is exactly what I told God and I cried and asked Him, "GOD, Dad made things right with mom, so doesn't THAT count for something?!!" I couldn't understand why my dad’s ex was always getting away with all she was doing. And it seemed that nothing was making sense. But as it was with my many other times of confronting God with things that confused me and disappointed me, His reply to me once again was simply, "Trust Me!" So I am. And I hoped that my dad was too.

Life is so unfair at times but we must trust that God has a better purpose for all that happens. I mean...think about the life of Joseph. He was falsely accused of things and ended up in prison as well, plus a number of other things that happened to him in his life, BUT he had a dream that God showed him that he held on to. He knew what his destiny in God was to be. He just didn't know what he was going to have to encounter to get there. THAT is why it is so important to TRUST in GOD no matter what, and He will guide our steps. We go through things so that we can help others. I had to believe that my dad’s life and what he was going through has a purpose.

TODAY, I can now report that my dad is home and God did some miraculous things in his heart while he was serving his time. Sometimes we do not know the place that God has to take us until we are finally willing to let Him in. It’s hard for us to sometimes accept things that are happening at the moment because we are incapable of seeing the reasoning for it and what the outcome may be. But God knows the beginning from the end. He sees the whole picture. He sees the very heart of the individuals involved. God KNOWS what He’s doing.

Trust is a very hard thing but I am so thankful that I have so many memorials that I can look back on and see that God has never let me down yet. He has proven to be the only one that I CAN truly count on and trust to work things out for the good. Thank you GOD for what you have done in my dad’s life!

Below is my devotional titled, TRUST ME!

Trust Me!
By Connie Schmoll

Many times this past week, I found myself asking, “Why is this happening, God?” And every time, His reply was simply, “Trust Me.” And He led me to His Word, bringing to remembrance Scripture that I could stand upon all week. One thing that I have learned is that our Father has “a word” for every situation in life if we bring our cares to Him, of which the Bible refers to as “...casting our cares on Him.” And then we need to trust Him to work it out. The key is taking the time to listen and then apply His Word to our life.

The two principles for having direction in life are (1) Logic vs. Trusting God - knowing who to trust (the Lord) and who not to trust (self) and (2) Acceptance - learning to accept the things God brings into your life.

Logic is a valuable tool given to us by God. For many decisions in life, a person needs to use logic and act on common sense. However, sometimes logic has to be set aside. There are some decisions in life where logic does not lead us in the right direction.

When we come up against some things in our life that are perplexing, we cannot assume that our human understanding of things is always a perfect guide. Human understanding is limited by a person’s knowledge and experience. But God sees the bigger picture and knows the ending from the beginning. Sometimes we need to look past human wisdom and allow the Spirit of God to direct our life. Our human reasoning wants an explanation, but the Spirit of God says, “Trust Me.”

Acceptance is a very important attitude that we must have in order to incorporate our trust in God. We are to accept God’s involvement in our lives and the way we express this to Him is by having a grateful spirit. The essence of the words found in Proverbs 3:5-6, “In all they ways acknowledge him...” is the same way we find in New Testament teachings.

“In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you” (I Thessalonians 5:18) and “Giving thanks always for all things unto God...in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 5:20).

Our giving thanks for all things is actually recognizing that God has allowed every happening in our life and we accept it as good. As we develop this type of attitude, we will more easily find direction that is best for our lives. To acknowledge God is to recognize that He is active in every happening and that He is always working out everything for our good. Therefore, we can give Him thanks, no matter what happens. Giving thanks is saying, “I don’t understand this situation, but I acknowledge that God knows why it is good for me.” By trusting God, we are not “leaning on our own understanding”.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not unto your own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct they paths.” (Proverbs 3:5-6)

I'm Sorry

Do you ever have something happen, or maybe you might be reading something and it triggers the memory of a past event that happened in your life? I know that I am not alone in this. I'm sure it's happened to a lot of you reading this.

Many times I read things on Facebook that are happening to people and right away I feel burdened for them because I can relate. It is so painful to be hurt by those you greatly respected. I have situations in my life that I doubt will ever be resolved but not because of me. I have done my part of trying to make amends but the actions of those who I once greatly respected have shown me that Christians can be the hardest people to make amends with. Sad, isn't it? But I have gotten to the place of accepting the fact that it may never happen. But God knows of these troubling times and is always there to teach us great lessons if we are open to receive them. It seems in my life that He always gives me OTHER events in life that end up being a great help in overcoming those disappointing times.

I remember an incident that happened back in 1990 while we were living in Minnesota. My husband was hurt by a man that he greatly respected. This weighed heavily on his heart and I could tell a difference in him. He carried this hurt for a whole year until one day we received a phone call. This man actually called Don to say he was sorry for what had happened and was sorry for hurting him. Wow! It was as if a heavy load was lifted from him. I could tell that healing took place immediately!

MY RESPECT FOR THIS MAN SKYROCKETED! To have someone in the leadership position that this man was in, call and say "I'm sorry", and admit his wrong brought us to respect this man for his humility. A year of hurt healed instantaneously just by hearing those two powerful words, "I'm sorry."

If some people in such positions as this man is in, could only know what those two words, "I'm sorry" could do for someone and even for themselves, they would be willing to say it more often.

Anytime that I hear this man's name, Gerald Grant, this will always be what I remember of him...the day that he was willing to admit his wrong that he did towards someone and was man enough to say, "I'm sorry". He is a man that I will ALWAYS highly respect. He will always be remembered in my heart for that one phone call he made to our home that day.

It is moments like these that happen, that help me overcome the disappointment of others who can't admit their wrongs, because it shows me that there ARE people out there that ARE willing to make things right. It gives me hope.

So anyway, I guess the memory of "my hurtful times that have not been resolved" was triggered but I immediately had this incident that happened for Don come to mind and it made me smile and feel very thankful. I even asked Don, "Do you remember how you felt that day that Bro. Grant called you and said he was sorry that he hurt you? Didn't that make you feel really good inside?" He answered, yes and it was then that I told him, just as I'm telling you now, that THIS my dear friends is the kind of thing that we should all want to be remembered for. This is the kind of thing "I" would want to be remembered for. Never be afraid to admit the wrong you may have done in someone's life. Learn and experience the power of those two words, "I'm Sorry".

Connie J. Schmoll

Columbine Student's Father...12yrs Later

This man has shared a very powerful message and I just wanted to help share it since the media did not allow this message to go out. PLEASE share this message with others.

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Columbine Student's father 12 years later

Guess our national leaders didn't expect this, hmm? On Thursday, Darrell Scott, the father of Rachel Scott, a victim of the Columbine High School shootings in Littleton , Colorado , was invited to address the House Judiciary Committee's subcommittee. What he said to our national leaders during this special session of Congress was painfully truthful.

They were not prepared for what he was to say, nor was it received well. It needs to be heard by every parent, every teacher, every politician, every sociologist, every psychologist, and every so-called expert! These courageous words spoken by Darrell Scott are powerful, penetrating, and deeply personal. There is no doubt that God sent this man as a voice crying in the wilderness...

The following is a portion of the transcript:

"Since the dawn of creation there has been both good & evil in the hearts of men and women. We all contain the seeds of kindness or the seeds of violence. The death of my wonderful daughter, Rachel Joy Scott, and the deaths of that heroic teacher, and the other eleven children who died must not be in vain. Their blood cries out for answers.

"The first recorded act of violence was when Cain slew his brother Abel out in the field. The villain was not the club he used.. Neither was it the NCA, the National Club Association. The true killer was Cain, and the reason for the murder could only be found in Cain's heart.

"In the days that followed the Columbine tragedy, I was amazed at how quickly fingers began to be pointed at groups such as the NRA. I am not a member of the NRA. I am not a hunter. I do not even own a gun. I am not here to represent or defend the NRA - because I don't believe that they are responsible for my daughter's death. Therefore I do not believe that they need to be defended. If I believed they had anything to do with Rachel's murder I would be their strongest opponent.

I am here today to declare that Columbine was not just a tragedy -- it was a spiritual event that should be forcing us to look at where the real blame lies! Much of the blame lies here in this room. Much of the blame lies behind the pointing fingers of the accusers themselves. I wrote a poem just four nights ago that expresses my feelings best.

Your laws ignore our deepest needs,
Your words are empty air.
You've stripped away our heritage,
You've outlawed simple prayer.
Now gunshots fill our classrooms,
And precious children die
You seek for answers everywhere,
And ask the question "Why?"
You regulate restrictive laws,
Through legislative creed..
And yet you fail to understand,
That God is what we need!

"Men and women are three-part beings. We all consist of body, mind, and spirit. When we refuse to acknowledge a third part of our make-up, we create a void that allows evil, prejudice, and hatred to rush in and wreak havoc. Spiritual presences were present within our educational systems for most of our nation's history. Many of our major colleges began as theological seminaries. This is a historical fact. What has happened to us as a nation? We have refused to honor God, and in so doing, we open the doors to hatred and violence. And when something as terrible as Columbine's tragedy occurs -- politicians immediately look for a scapegoat such as the NRA. They immediately seek to pass more restrictive laws that contribute to erode away our personal and private liberties. We do not need more restrictive laws. Eric and Dylan would not have been stopped by metal detectors. No amount of gun laws can stop someone who spends months planning this type of massacre. The real villain lies within our own hearts.

"As my son Craig lay under that table in the school library and saw his two friends murdered before his very eyes, he did not hesitate to pray in school. I defy any law or politician to deny him that right! I challenge every young person in America , and around the world, to realize that on April 20, 1999, at Columbine High School prayer was brought back to our schools. Do not let the many prayers offered by those students be in vain. Dare to move into the new millennium with a sacred disregard for legislation that violates your God-given right to communicate with Him. To those of you who would point your finger at the NRA -- I give to you a sincere challenge...Dare to examine your own heart before casting the first stone!

My daughter's death will not be in vain! The young people of this country will not allow that to happen again.

Darrell Scott

Do what the media did not --- let the nation hear this man's speech. Please send this out to everyone you can.

God Bless

Preserved in the Fire

As a Christian, we know our walk with God never promises freedom from trouble. In fact, Jesus taught just the opposite. "In this world, you will have tribulation." (John 16:33). Fortunately, Jesus immediately followed these words with a message of hope. "But take heart! I have overcome the world!"

If we have trials come our way whether it be a financial problem, a health issue or something else, we have truths in God's Word that we can stand on to help us through. Choose to stand on His Word about your situation! You have to remember that if you choose to take a stand for him, He is with you. During these times, let me tell you just as Jesus told me, “Let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God, believe also in me.” (John 14:1) Though trials may come and remain a lot longer than we like, we can still be set free by abiding in the One who has overcome!

The first thing that the devil likes to throw at us when we choose to take a stand for God is fear. Fear of loss. Fear of failure. Fear of the unknown, and even fear of death. He tries his best to steal God's Word from our heart. The antidote for fear is faith. When we are operating in fear, we are actually operating in unbelief, not believing or trusting in God. I know personally that when you make a decision to stand, fear will try to creep into your thoughts, but we know enough of the Word of God to know exactly where those thoughts come from and must take them captive immediately, casting them down! (2 Corinthians 10:5)

When you make a decision of faith to stand on God's Word concerning your situation, it has nothing to do with anyone's faith but yours. God meets each one of us where we are. You know how we are always told that the way that we can know we are making the right decision is because we feel a peace about it? Well, sometimes you'll find that peace in a decision you've chosen to make that others will not be in agreement with and it makes it more difficult to stand, but we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us! (Philippians 4:13) Greater is he that is in us than he that is in the world! (1 John 4:4)

A decision that I made and the stand that I took once was based on the Word of God. In a health situation, I KNOW that He bore my sickness and carried my diseases and that by His stripes I WAS healed and that He sent His Word and healed me! I confess that the Word abides in me and it is life and medicine to my flesh! And while praying in the Spirit, God gave me many revelations to my situation and I do not take lightly what God begins to download into my spirit. I know the things that He has shown me are for a reason and I just can't brush them aside.

I know that when making a decision to stand, we may be walking into a furnace of affliction but just like in the book of Daniel, with the three Hebrew children, you can believe that God will be with you through the fire just as He was with them! They went through the fire, was liberated from their shackles and untouched by the flames! The furnace may be frightening for some, but God will assure you that you are not being brought to it for destruction, but for growth. Have faith in the fire! Be prepared because there may be furnaces of criticism, intimidation, disappointment, hatred, etc. because of the stand you take but just as the Lord used the fire to loosen those men from the ropes that held them bound, He will free you from the things that may be keeping you bound. God teaches good judgment and knowledge through affliction. Oh, you could go ahead and do what others think you should do to make THEM happy but how is that going to affect YOUR walk with God, knowing that you did it based on the happiness of everyone elses but your own, and knowing that you did not do what you felt God wanted you to do?

Don't you ever just get tired of living the wishy-washy life? That is where it got for me. There are so many Christians today that have chosen just the life of mediocrity, settling for less than God's best for them because of fear of leaving their comfort zone. I SO DESIRE a life that will make a difference in people's lives but how can I ever do that when I settle for less? How can I ever do that when I can't even live what I (preach) write when God shows me great truths from His Word to encourage others, and I can't seem to apply them to my own life? I have been bound by many things for years that have kept me from doing what I want and need to do for God and I'm tired of it! I needed to find freedom. No one but God knows the struggles that you have been bound with inside and He is the only one that knows the answers to your situation.

We never know what God will do with the afflictions in our life and as we pass through the furnaces of life, leaning on the grace of God to sustain us, it may be that God is using those moments in our life, those moments that hurt so much, to show a lost world that He is God and He can help them. That is why we need to submit to the furnaces of life, trusting God's grace to be sufficient.

As I said earlier, the first thing that the devil will throw at someone who is taking a stand for God is fear, especially the fear of death. But God has shown me even how to fight that fear. You see, when standing on God's Word for a situation, the devil tries to make us think that failure is such a bad thing so people tend to not even make a decision at all. Also when a person stands on God's Word for healing, the devil tries to make us think that dying is a bad and scary thing, but you see, for a Christian, it's a win..win situation. See what I'm saying? For example, if a person has a health issue that may be a life and death situation and they choose to stand on God's Word for healing, whether God chooses to heal or whether the Christian dies, they still win either way!

It's just like the three Hebrew Children: Even when threatened with a horrible death, these men refused to bend or to bow to the King Nebuchanezzar. They took their stand in spite of the personal cost. But look at what they said, “If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.”

They didn't say this because they didn't believe God to deliver them. They DID believe! But they said, 'if he didn't deliver them, they still would not serve his gods or worship the golden image. They still would stand'. They weren't afraid to die. Because they win either way. This shows the devil that he cannot use the weapon of the fear of death to throw at us to keep us from standing on God's Word.

Do not let the devil use fear to keep you from taking a stand for God in your situation! God will preserve you even in your fire of affliction! Many are the afflictions of the righteous but God delivers us out of them all! (Psalm 34:18-19)

Behold, I have refined thee, but not with silver; I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction. (Isaiah 48:10)

Connie J. Schmoll

The Gift!

I was at a loss for words and something jumped within me as my friend's voice came across the phone with a question that she pretty much asked nonchalantly, "So, Did you receive YOUR Christmas gift from God?" She had NO IDEA what she had just asked and how it stirred up within me that exuberant feeling I had experienced that morning from the vision I had about The Gift! My first thought was, "No way! How can she know? I never told her! I haven't told ANYONE! What was she talking about? Was that box waiting at the post office for us from her? Is this what she's referring to?" So many different thoughts were going through my mind and after she wondered why I went silent, I struggled for the words to explain because I was just taken aback from her question. So I just merely asked, "Um...Can I read you something that I just wrote today about what happened to me this morning?" After she answered, yes, I began to read.

The Gift!

It's Christmas Morning!!

I was awakened early because my little dogs, Champ & Lily had to go out. I shivered as the brisk cold morning air engulfed my body, yet I felt a refreshing all around me and a feeling of expectancy rose within me. As I returned back inside my home, I sat down at my desk and turned on my computer. After reading my devotional that I had written, “Christmas at the Window”, I placed the earphones over my ears and began listening to Francesca Ballistelli singing, “Be Born in Me”. As I sat back comfortably in my chair and closed my eyes, she hadn't even sung two lines of the song, when tears began to fall down my face and it was then, the vision came.

I was standing on a dark street. At first, things were so chaotic and gloomy, but then a magnificent looking tree caught my eye! I was drawn to the other side of the street. The white glistening lights on this tree were so bright and I gasped as my breath was taken away by its beauty. The closer I got to the tree, I began to feel its magic. A beautiful angel was atop the tree. She looked so real to me, as I stared at her radiant face. It was as if she was seeing right through me as I felt an invasion within but I let her in because I trusted her.

My attention turned to all the unopened gifts lying beneath the tree and next to the tree was a sign that read, “Free Gifts”. I recognized this tree and knew I had been here before! Yes, God had brought me here once before in a dream and this time, I was not here to observe. I was here to Receive. (If you want to read about that dream, read "Many Gifts Unopened".)

So many gifts yet to be opened!

My eyes began to scan across the names on the gifts but I was unable to make out the names except for the one to the right of me. It had MY name on it! I reached down to touch the gift and my fingers tingled as I took it into my hands. The gift was small and flat and the wrapping was so beautiful with so many pretty colors. My fingers ran through the bright red ribbon that flowed from the package. Across the package, in small letters was written, “To be opened by one who believes & receives, in Jesus Name”.

As I began opening the gift, I noticed that a large crowd of people began gathering around the tree. I saw many familiar faces of whom I knew were the ones that I had told of the one gift that I believed for and who agreed to stand with me, but there were others, many others I did not know that later I found out were people who also chose to stand with me. The excitement that shone on all their faces triggered a feeling of great expectancy in my heart.

Slowly I removed the gift wrap and as I pulled free the note inside and began reading in capital letters, I couldn't help but shout out, “HEALING!” as I raised my hand in the air. The crowd's voices erupted in praise and shouts unto the Lord and as I dropped to my knees, a great warmth, starting from my fingertips, spread throughout my entire body and I was overcome by the mighty presence of the Lord. The red flowing ribbon, escaping the package's form began wrapping itself all around me as the flow of Christ's blood raced throughout my body. I felt God's healing power, as an electrical force hit me.

My manifestation had finally come!!

As I basked in the Lord's Presence, the crowd broke forth in song and worship and I saw many others from the crowd believing, receiving and unwrapping their gifts that had been lying beneath that tree for many many years, untouched and unopened. God's Best had definitely been received by many this day!

Suddenly my eyes opened as the song “Be Born In Me” ended and my son walked from his bedroom. As I wiped the tears from my face, I softly whispered, “Be it unto me, O Lord, according to your Word. Thank you Jesus!”

If you are a Born Again Believer, every gift from God for you has already been freely given. They are inside of you and it's your choice as to the gifts that you allow to come forth.

Believe, Receive and then Give!!

Just as Peter said, "Silver & Gold have I none, but such as I have, give I thee...Rise up and walk!" We have a miracle in us for someone just waiting to receive!! Allow God to use you through the gifts and abilities that He has given you.

“Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him [be] glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. Ephesians 3:20,21 (Read the whole chapter)

How much power of God are YOU allowing to work in you? And WHO might be out there needing a miracle that has been birthed inside of YOU... TO GIVE!

Connie J. Schmoll
P.S. I 'relived' this vision as I began sharing about it with a friend last night. I truly believe that God does a great work within not only the one who 'takes a stand' for Him, but He's also doing some great miracles in the lives of many others involved. You never know how many lives can be touch & changed because of your choice to stand!