Okay, true confession time…. I am a movie addict.  I love many differenct kinds of movies, (except scary ones), and especially ones that tug on the heart strings.  One of the greatest movies I have seen this year by far is “The Help.”  In this movie, one of the maids, Aibileene, sows a very important message into the hearts and minds of the children she tends to, namely this little girl, Mae Mobley.

This movie was such a joy as it appealed to my natural tendancy to root for the underdog.  Seeing someone overcome adversity, obstacles, and disappointments in their lives, receive healing for discouragement and heartache, and rise to a better place is one of the greatest blessings to me.  That is exactly what God wants for us as well.  We all get knocked around a bit in our lifetime at one point or another, whether from our own choosing or someone else’s.  We all have disappointments and challenges to varying degrees and very unique to our individual lives.  But God sees each one, and desires to heal and fill with abundant life and joy for every single person who would call on Him, love Him, accept Him, trust and Believe Him at His Word.   That is not neccessarily easy though.  It takes a lot of courage to make that journey sometimes.   A precious part of this clip is that although sweet Miss Aibileene is sowing great love and assurances into this little girl, she herself has dealt with and continues to deal with great challenges.  Challenges of heartache, loss, slavery, belittlement, being treated as an unclean ‘object’ instead of a person of worth and value, the choice to believe God has a greater plan than what is going on, and so much more.  But she keeps smiling, serving faithfully, and building others up….. Enjoy this little clip and once again, hide it in your heart for when the world tries to tell you otherwise.

be blessed,  shana

In the Messiah, in Christ, God leads us from place to place in one perpetual victory parade. Through us, he brings knowledge of Christ. Everywhere we go, people breathe in the exquisite fragrance. Because of Christ, we give off a sweet scent rising to God, which is recognized by those on the way of salvation—an aroma redolent with life.  2 Cor. 2:14-15 MSG

p.s.  Now, for those who have seen this movie…. I realize that maybe I shouldn’t, but I kind of get a kick out of Minny’s choice of how she ’blesses’ her former boss, Ms. Hilly.  Cracks me up every time.  heehee.  Chocolate Pie, anyone?    We’ll talk about that point on another blog entry.   Meanwhile, be blessed!  <3

As believers, we enter into a relationship with Christ, not to spend our entire lives struggling and striving, but thriving and living life abundantly, as an Heir of God, Co-heir with Christ.  The brokenness of this world and the enemy of our souls wants us to be full of despair, discouraged, beaten down, confused, and existing with lost hope.  We must be aware of the enemy’s tactics, disarm them over our lives, stand firm on the promises of God, and Live according to who God says we are.  Be blessed.  ♥

Some people may steer clear of living a life sold out for Christ because maybe it seems so boring, stuffy, no fun, not cool, etc. Well, this is yet another one of those lies the enemy throws our way to keep us repelled from pressing into God, and keep us doing things that may not be quite so respectable and call it ‘more fun.’ Although the after-effect is often additional weight of shame, guilt, regret, anxiety, difficult consequences, isolation, yada, yada.

The truth is, my friend, when we are truly, wholeheartedly, with every ounce of our being sold out to God, completely and utterly in love with the Lord Jesus Christ, empowered by His Word, His Worship, and His Anointing,…. the powerful Holy Spirit will fill us up to way overflowing and lead us down roads we never would of, or could of gone down on our own. Yes, that powerful fresh wind & fire of the Holy Spirit will absolutely blow our limiting human nature away if we put ourselves in the position to receive it. For now, go ahead and have some fun, get your groove on, burn some calories, sing and dance your heart out in worship with this song by Israel Houghton and New Breed from Lakewood Church….

Psalm 91:9-16 NIV…

“If you make the Most High your dwelling-
even the Lord, who is my refuge-
“then no harm will befall you,
no disaster will come near your tent.
“For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways;
“they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
“You will tread upon the lion and the cobra;
you will trample the great lion and the serpent.

“Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him;
I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.
“He will call upon me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble,
I will deliver him and honor him.
“With long life will I satisfy him
and show him my salvation.”

May the Peace of this truth rest in your hearts and minds today and always. May you know that no matter what comes your way, with Jesus in your heart, invited into your life, you are God’s precious child – forever. Nothing can take that away from you. He will always go before you, protect you, and He’s always got your back.

Jesus tells us in Jn. 16:33 (after much teaching on some pretty deep stuff)…
“In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world!”
The battle is already won, including every challenge you face on any given day. It has already been won in Christ. Stick with Him, He’ll get you through it. And with long life, (eternal life) He will satisfy you and reward you for your faithfulness to trust Him, even when the going got tough.

love and blessings,
shana

[p.s. coming soon: dedicated site for http://stablewords.com! See you over there soon!]
[p.s.s.: if you want more worship like this, go to http://shanashack.com, pick up a great new ipod, then head on over to itunes.com to download this great Israel Houghton & New Breed CD, A Deeper Level!]

Do you ever wonder if you missed God? At one point you had life mapped out, a vision burning in your heart, clear as day…. Then, real life set in, that clear day became cloudy, busy, hustle, go, go, go…. All the while trying to hold on to that vision, that passion, ‘don’t let it go!’ you whisper to yourself. But, after a while it becomes more and more faint, more distant, feeling as though it will never again reappear. Similar to the seed sown among the thorns as told in Luke 8:14, choked out by the cares, riches and pleasures of this world. Often the dreams and visions God gives us must compete with the countless cares of our world… which can have tremendous power at times.  Life can throw some tough curve balls at us, but it ain’t over til it’s over.

Whatever tragedy, challenge, or detour that may come up in your life, take heart, there’s hope! Scripture is chock full of promises, stories, guidance, and absolute truth of a loving, patient, and faithful God and Father who restores our hope time and again. Through our relationship with Christ, Hope is alive in us no matter what. We may get off track and go through life’s boot camp for awhile. Yet, no matter where you are today, no matter the state of that dream in your heart, as we turn our hearts, passions, and focus back to Jesus, those dreams and visions begin to become clear once again. God alone is the One who breaths life into us and all that we are.

So, the big Q.: What is the substance of our dream? Is it solely for our own glory? If so, that is the pleasure we will get from it,… only what our own strength can bring. Or, is the substance of our dream for His Glory and for Loving on others, showing them His Heart? Therein lies the secret and the power. Dreaming God sized dreams brings forth God sized strength, power, and anointing beyond our own human comprehension.

The challenge: Love God, Love others, Listen to His whisper in your spirit, and dare to Dream those God given dreams and see what He will do.

love and blessings,
shana

But then, there is the occassional breath of fresh air that passes through. That event that brings hope and warm fuzzies to countless people around the world who long for a hint of inspiration and encouragement for those hidden dreams buried deep inside themselves. A living testimony that great things do indeed still happen to regular people like you and me.

If you struggle to find the courage to take some leap of faith yourself, I hereby encourage you to try. You’ll never know until you do. Now understandably, not all of us will shine in front of Simon Cowell and the American Idol crew, but you never know what God will do in His own unique way. Like the saying goes, “you can’t walk on water unless you get out of the boat!”

Be blessed!,
shana

Listen to Susan’s interview with America’s Newsroom Hosts, Bill Hemmer and Megyn Kelly on Fox News Channel.

In these initial stages of the Stable Words blog, I have found myself challenged as to what to write and what to post. Should I try my best to be ‘socially acceptable’ or ‘politically correct?’ Or, is that even a possibility when delving into the things of God? In truth, it could be my own aversion to confrontation, harsh words, and the possibility of ruffling some feathers that holds me back from truly sharing what God has stirred up inside of me.

A good study of the heart of God and Jesus Christ and that mysterious Holy Spirit and one may quickly understand that the more we know of the Word, the less we really understand of the big picture of life, God, and this incredibly complex creation. For instance, Christians easily refer to the Holy Spirit in reference to the ‘Trinity’ yet get a bit glassy eyed and/or defensive when feeling the need or pressure to humanize, justify, or explain this part of God. How can any of us, truly, explain the ‘Spirit’ of the God of the Universe? Any human being that has ever existed, in the height of their intelligence could never fully or adequately explain in human terms the fullness and activity of the Holy Spirit. And, for those who assure they can… that is pride my friend, nothing but pride in one’s own presumed ability. But, it is that Holy Spirit that brings alive the life of Christ in those who long for it, wisdom in those who whole-heartedly desire it. Yet even that desire can take us to the ends of ourselves. Requiring us to put aside our safe ‘religious’ thinking in order to actually experience in a fresh, new and powerful way, God’s presence in our lives by the Holy Spirit. If we press in to God enough, He’s going to blow the top off the box we have Him in. He’s God, he’s not the neighbor next door.

The presence of God through the Holy Spirit is not something that can be explained, it must be experienced. And, it is still in keeping the Main thing the Main thing. What is the Main thing?…. Simple, Jesus. It is my belief, from studying the Bible, that Jesus Christ is the One True Son of the Living God who came to save mankind; Immanuel, God with us, God in the Flesh. Fully God, fully man… and a complete mystery to the human brain, but the sweetest honey to the depth of our soul. I believe Jesus took our sins upon himself at the Cross so we could be forgiven, making available to us, the option of believing in Him as our Lord and Saviour, securing our place in Heaven when our time is finished, and knowing we are never alone in this broken world we live in. That is my belief, that there is Oneway to eternal life, through the Main thing… Jesus Christ.

I do understand that many do not share this belief, and that is ok. If everyone in the world already believed in Jesus in a correct way, that means the world would have already gone through the end times. For now, we live in a pretty messed up place. This world is a very broken, yet passionate place. So many people with so many passionate belief systems. And the Word says, ‘there is a way that seems right to man, but the end thereof is death.’ Yikes, if I did not know Jesus, I’d be pretty darn scared. I do not believe there is any other way to eternal life in Heaven because a ‘human’ wants there to be. Our choice to believe what we do does not change the Ultimate Truth of God and who He is and how He has chosen to work out His plans and purposes. Yet I wholeheartedly believe in His Sovereignty and unconditional love for mankind. God already knows all our struggles, deceptions, confusion, internal and external battles, etc. And, He cares about each and everyone of them. His Word tells us that His Grace is sufficient and His love is greater than anything we could ever imagine. God is big enough to handle all the struggles we face, and cares about His kids who get so distraught and confused over technicalities, bickering as the Pharisees did over the law, and a barrage of mixed messages…. sadly even in the ‘christian’ camp. The most important thing to do in my own personal opinion is, ‘Keep the Main thing the Main thing.’ The Holy Spirit is all about working its fruit out in our lives, (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control) it’s up to us to let it happen, and there’s great power in that. God will work out all the other details. Learning to love others without judgement is the hard part for us humans.

love and blessings in Christ,
shana

Joyce Meyer has been a huge blessing and mentor to millions of people searching for hope and purpose in this crazy world we live in. She has a candid, effective, powerfully anointed, and often humorous way of broaching some tough topics in a way that sinks in and reaches many who may never darken the doors of the local church. Read one of her articles here…

Have you been praying about a situation in your life and found yourself waiting for a breakthrough? Are you wondering why the answer hasn’t come yet? Do you feel as though victory is passing you by? Sometimes when we pray long and hard about a situation in our life without receiving any answers, we just learn to live with it. We go on about our business, wondering if or when God will send the answer. But God does hear those prayers, and He’s working out the answers even though we may not know all the details. Our situation can change suddenly—quickly without warning!…. continue reading here.

May you be richly blessed,

shana

“Dream Big & Aim High…. you just might get there.”