You Were Formed by the Master by Kim Checkeye

One of my favorite scriptures is Psalm 139:15-16.

“My frame was not hidden from You,
When I was made in secret,
And skillfully wrought in the depth of the earth;
Your eyes have seen my unformed substance;
And in Your book were all written
The days that were ordained for me,
When as yet there was not one of them.”

I hold this scripture so close to my heart because most of my life growing up, I thought I was a huge mistake. I thought if there was a God, He must have been asleep on the day I was born. This was a huge lie that I believed and it caused much confusion, pain and hurt in my life.

Do you truly understand that the God who spoke the world into existence saw you before you were even formed? That your frame was not hidden from Him? That God Almighty ordained all your days before there was even one of them?

I believe if we truly got a hold of this truth and held onto it for dear life, we would never be the same.

The original text of “your eyes have seen” means the following:

* To see
* Observe
* Perceive
* Get acquainted with
* Gain understanding
* Examine
* Look after

Before God spoke the world into existence, He observed you. He perceived you. He saw you. He was acquainted with you. He had an understanding of you, examined you and looked after YOU! Now if that doesn’t just make you want to dance, I don’t know what will.

Dear ones, you were not a mistake. You were formed for His glory and honor. He chose you before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight.

So my question to all of us is this; then why don’t we act like it? Ouch! If we truly understood this scripture, I think we would act very different. We would not be so susceptible to being down on ourselves. I think we would see problems and tribulations differently if we stood on this scripture. I believe our behavior, attitude and perception would be completely changed.

So many times we think God has forgotten about us or doesn’t see our pain. In all reality, He is walking right there beside us calling us to Him. But there are times when we are so distracted, that we can’t even hear Him.

I encourage you to write this scripture on post it notes and note cards. Hang them up everything. Put them in the kitchen, on the mirrors, on your computer and by your phone. Meditate on this scripture day and night. Don’t let go of it until you completely have absorbed it in your mind, body and soul. Then, shout it from the rooftops! Then tell everyone you come into contact with about this precious truth that you have come to know and love.

Tis the Season to Boldy Proclaim Christ - by Kim Checkeye

We are entering into a very busy time of the year as we get ready for the Christmas Season by spending time with family and friends, decorating with lights, trees, candles and so much more. I want to encourage you this season to let your light shine for Jesus more than ever before.

As you go about your day and people say to you “Happy Holidays”, boldly proclaim back “Merry Christmas to you.” I am going to let you in on a little secret of mine. Promise not to tell? This drives me crazy when people say Happy Holidays! After all, isn’t Christmas about the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ?

The Roman pagans would celebrate Saturnalia from December 17-25. During this time the Roman authorities chose “an enemy of the Roman people” to represent the “Lord of Misrule.” Each Roman community selected a victim whom they forced to indulge in food and other physical pleasures throughout the week. At the end of this festival which was December 25th, the authorities believed they were destroying the forces of darkness by brutally murdering this innocent man or woman.

Christian leaders wanted to get to the pagans so they took over this holiday but it was no easy task. The Christian leaders announced that on the final day, December 25th, they would celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. Over the years the struggle has always been the same, remembering why the Christians took over Christmas.

Christians took over this holiday in an attempt to bring the pagans before God Almighty. Christians took what was a time of self indulgence, self gratification and pagan rituals and attempted to turn it around to celebrate the birth of Christ.

Unfortunately, this struggle is still there. As Christians, we are bombarded by what the world has made Christmas to be.

I think it is time for us as Christians to stand up and fight for what this Holiday is all about. It is time to fight for our brothers and sisters who are still lost in sin and don’t know the truth. After all, wasn’t paganism about people wrapped up in sin? It is time for us to boldly proclaim that Jesus Christ is the one true living God, that He died for our iniquities and our transgressions and that we can have ever lasting life in Him.

I urge you that this Christmas as you go about your days, you are constantly reminding everyone around you why you celebrate this Holiday and what it means to you. I urge you to press into your relationship with Christ more than ever before. I urge you to study the Word and allow your heart to become a sponge so you can truly know who God is. His Word tells us that He is:

Jehovah-Shammah – The Lord my Companion
Elohim – The all powerful One Creator
YHWH – The one who is self existent one
El Roi - The God who sees me
Jehovah-Jireh- You will provide
Jehovah – Rapha – the Lord who heals
Adonai – The Lord. My Great Lord.
Jehovah-Rohi – The Lord is my shepherd.
Jehovah-Mekaddishkem – The Lord who sanctifies
Jehovah-Tsidkenu – The Lord Our Righteousness
Jehovah-Nissi – The Lord is my Banner
Jehovah-Rapha - The Lord who heals
Jehovah-Shalom-The Lord is my Peace
Jehovah-Sabaoth - The Lord of Hosts The Lord of Armies
El Olam - The eternal God. The everlasting God.
El Elyon - The God Most High
El Shaddai – The all sufficient One
Immanuel – God is with us. I AM.

This is the God we serve! This is God who gave His one and only son to be born. Jesus Christ came into this world to die. He was born so that one day, He would die for the sins of the world.

I urge you to fall on your face during this Holiday season and seek Him. I urge you to press into His loving arms and forget the things of this world. I urge you to be like the woman with the issue of blood in Mark 5. She had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. This caused her to be weak and tired. It was debilitating to her in all areas of her life. The Bible tells us that she had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and she had spent all that she had. I can only imagine what this poor woman went through. She knew that her only hope was this Jesus that she had heard all about.

There was a large crowd following Jesus and they pressed in around him. This weak and tired woman knew that if she pressed in through the crowd and touched the hem of His garment, she would be healed. Can you picture it? I can. I can see the crowd pushing and trying to stop her from reaching Him. I can see as she gets a few steps closer someone pushes her all the back to where she started. Her mind is telling her to give up but her heart is telling her to fight even harder. She doesn’t give up until she reaches the Healer and touches His garment. At that very moment the bleeding stops and she is healed.

I urge you to push in to the things of God just like that woman did. You won’t be sorry. The Lord God will turn to you and say “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.”

Merry CHRISTMAS and God bless you!